


haunted memories.

by thrillingtremors



Series: The Ghost [2]
Category: Dead By Daylight
Genre: Danny Johnson is NOT a nice guy, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, F/M, I’m sorry guys, Michael Myers is ALSO not a nice guy, Susie deserves better, no beta we die like men, the sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:09:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21944146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thrillingtremors/pseuds/thrillingtremors
Summary: After Susie’s traumatic experience with the Ghostface, she thought her troubles would be over. She assumed she’d be allowed to heal and recover in peace. She was wrong.
Relationships: Danny “Jed Olsen” Johnson | The Ghostface/Susie (Dead by Daylight), Susie (Dead by Daylight)/Danny “Jed Olsen” Johnson | The Ghostface
Series: The Ghost [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580029
Comments: 34
Kudos: 44





	haunted memories.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I tried improving my writing style, so I hope you guys enjoy! As always, please heed the tags/warnings and be careful! Once again this is a very emotional and graphic story. Also - this focuses a lot on Susie, her healing/growth, and her relationships with those in the Fog. There IS Susie and Danny interaction, but I just wanted to put that out there. Anyway, I hope you like the sequel! P.S. I apologize for any typos or weird sentences, I am super tired and just wanted to get this out in time for Christmas! I’ll edit this soon, I just have no beta. We die like men.

Susie had a new weapon. 

Amanda had given it to her. It was a drill, and Susie liked the way it whirred and how the impact sounded when it hit survivors. She owed Amanda a lot. She supported Susie, and even though she could've tossed Susie to the curb, she didn't. In a different life, Susie probably would have even been Amanda's apprentice, like Amanda was with that Jigsaw guy. Although she'd probably be hesitant with the killing, but . . . She could adjust, couldn't she?

Just like she'd adjusted to what had happened to her. 

The aftermath of her torture always stayed with her, never leaving. It was a thick black fog over her mind, and it wouldn't stray from her thoughts no matter how hard she attempted to distract herself. She just felt so upset, and so angry. She was mad that she had to keep quiet about what she'd gone through. She was mad that Jed was going to get away with what he'd done. She was mad that she'd never get the chance to claim her revenge. She was mad that he haunted her dreams at night. No matter what she did or tried, he infected her brain.

The first trial after the incident had been . . . Chaotic. 

Susie had opened her eyes to feel snow underneath her new combat boots, and a chill resting on her exposed neck. She was at Mount Ormond. She'd instantly got to work, rushing towards generators at a fast pace. It didn't take long for her to find some victims. There were three survivors working on a generator together, trying to rush out of the trial as soon as possible, probably. Susie had entered her frenzy, hitting them all in quick succession. She'd always been sloppy with her frenzy, not practiced like Frank, careful like Julie, or ruthless like Joe. She was just decent with it at best. But that day, she did it perfectly. Her skills that evening probably even rivaled Frank's, though she'd never tell him. 

She recalled one of the survivors — David, was his name? — grunting and talking to his friends. "Does the legion have a new member?" He'd asked, and another (the redhead, Meg) had glared at him and retorted, "No you idiot. That's still Susie." How they knew her name, Susie would never know. It was probably because of Jeff, their comrade, who'd known the Legion before entering the Entity's realm. But how Meg had known it was Susie, even after her new style, was unknown. It was probably because she was the shortest out of her legion. That was usually a telltale. And, of course, her distinct screams that set her apart from the others. Still, she was hoping no one would catch on that quickly. But, that hope ran short.

She most likely stunned them with how ruthless and merciless she was. She could hear the Entity whispering and chanting to her in her ears, spurring her on and encouraging her as she slashed and mutilated her quarry. Usually she'd let a few go, maybe even all of them. She never cast an offering for a Mori, which was where killers could murder the survivors at their own hand. But that day, she'd needed an outlet. And the survivors provided her with one. She killed every single one herself, gutting them and slicing them up like they were fish. Their screams and cries of terror still echoed through her head sometimes, but . . . She found herself sometimes enjoying them. It scared her. She didn't want to be like the others. 

She wanted to keep her humanity. 

Right now, Susie was sitting at the top level of the Ormond resort. The chalet was unusually quiet. Frank was in a trial, as was Julie, while Joey was off doing his own thing. Susie was listening to her mixtape, which was filled with happy and upbeat songs. It didn't match her mood. She felt grumpy and annoyed with everything and everyone. She leaned forward, letting snow fall into her frizzy black hair and paint her face with a sharp chill. She stuck her tongue out and caught a few snowflakes. It felt just like old times, back in the real world. But she knew it wasn't the same. Nothing would ever be the same for her ever again. 

She rested her hand on her pocket. She pulled out her drill, and stared at it almost fondly. A new beginning. A fresh start. That was what this was all about. But entering a new chapter in her life didn't have to mean she changed her whole attitude. She couldn't let Jed ruin her. That was what he wanted. He wanted her to suffer. But she wouldn't — she wouldn't show it, at least. Susie flicked the drill around in her hands, lost in her wandering thoughts of Jed.

When a roar erupted through the resort, she nearly shit her pants. 

"What the hell?!" Susie exclaimed, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. She jumped to her feet, looking down the chalet balcony in terror. She could be imagining things, right? She rubbed her ears, but then the roar sounded again, and she leaped into the air like a frightened alley cat. No, she definitely wasn't imagining that shit. She felt chills ripple up and down her spine. Perhaps for the first time since Jed, she felt true fear again. 

She didn't want to run downstairs to look for her friends. She felt too scared. She was glued to the spot, staring in terror at the snowy ground below, and the figure standing there. It was huge, taller than Jed and taller even than Joey, who was known for being well over six foot. It had long, pale arms and seemingly no eyes or a mouth. Long claws, longer than a grizzly bear's, glinted in the dim sunlight and made Susie feel nauseous. The beast suddenly roared again, and its whole entire face split apart to reveal a mouth that looked like a flower. 

And inside were hundreds, maybe thousands, of razor-sharp teeth. Susie screamed. She couldn't help herself. That was fucking terrifying! She quickly slipped the drill sheathe over her wrist, and drew the blade out front and center. Though what the hell was a drill supposed to do to an eight foot tall monster? And to make matters worse, said monster was now turned directly towards Susie, its face twitching and its head tilting. "Stay the fuck away!" Susie shouted down at it. Like it could speak, let alone understand English. Instead, her fright and warning seemed to encourage it, because it came stalking towards the chalet.

Oh God, oh fuck, oh fuck! Susie thought in a panic. It didn't have eyes, but it must have a sharp sense of smell and hearing. She bolted, running off the balcony and trying to find a suitable hiding spot. If she could just stay under cover until the rest of the Legion got back, she could make it through this! Besides, she'd been in worse situations before. She crept into a corner behind some couches, covering her mouth with a hand. She felt beads of sweat rolling down her face and dripping onto the floor. It wasn't even hot, she was just terrified. 

She heard the thing entering the chalet from downstairs, its roars and animalistic squeals making her tremble. She felt the strong urge to go to the bathroom, but there was no way she was going to pee herself. No chance in hell. She was scared, but not that scared. Yet as she imagined those teeth ripping into her face, she bit back a sob. Those claws tearing into her stomach, exposing her intestines — dealing far more damage than a knife ever could. 

Susie felt her eyes roll back into her head for a split second. For a moment, she thought she was going to faint, before her mind cleared and she felt a little better. She heard loud, thunderous footsteps approaching up the stairs, and the loud sounds of sniffing. It was looking for her. Susie tried dragging the couch in front of her more, but the noise seemed to only alert the monster to her location. She cursed at herself internally, raising her drill in front of her, poised to fight. She shrieked with horror as the beast jumped onto the couch, its arms bracing on the back half of it as it roared and leered down at her, spit flying about. 

"Don't kill me, I'm — I'm — uh . . . Fuck!" Susie screeched deliriously with terror. There was no begging, pleading, or convincing this thing not to gut her. It didn't understand her language, and even the Entity didn't seem to have any reigns on it. How was this beast even in her realm? She thought there were boundaries. Like, killers couldn't hunt other killers. Yet her mind flickered to Jed, and that defense went right down the drain. The Entity didn't care about them. It couldn't give less than a shit about its killers. Or maybe, only about her. It would explain why it allowed Jed to kill her, and why this monster was about to do the same. She felt a flicker of anger. Why was she being targeted and singled out this damn much? What had she done that pissed the disgusting, spider-like Entity off that fucking bad?

A thought occurred to her. Maybe it was because she wasn't killing like she was supposed to. She'd felt how displeased with her it was, but it had never done anything to psychically hurt her. It'd screamed and screamed in her ears until they bled, but it never dragged her away and tortured her like the Legion said it did the Trapper and Wraith. Maybe Jed was its way of torturing her. The random thought of the Entity encouraging and allowing Jed to rape and kill her made her beyond furious. She felt angry enough to turn into the Hulk. She wished she could be glowing green and turning into a huge ass monster to fight this one. 

"You little shit!" Susie screamed, lunging at the monster. "I'm doing well in my trials now, fuck off!" She swiped her drill at the creature, striking it across its grotesque face. It howled in pain, recoiling from her, and that's when she heard metal clanging. She glanced at the creature more closely, and noticed a collar fastened around its neck. It even had broken chains around its ankles. Was it an escaped experiment or something? The thought made her falter. Maybe this monster had endured just as much torture as she had. She softened. 

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. Why was she still bothering to talk to this thing? She didn't know. She was missing a few screws in that head of hers, clearly. "I'm sorry," she said more quietly, and the monster whimpered. It didn't seem as intimidating when it wasn't charging around and roaring. It just looked like a disgusting, drooling morbid flower. She wondered if it was like a Venus fly trap, luring her in closer and bringing her guard down to strike. But she didn't know if she'd mind losing a hand, as she hesitantly brought herself closer to the beast. She could imagine Frank scolding her, Julie crying in terror, and Joey trying to pull her away. But they weren't here. And it was their fault for not being here with her right now. 

"You're just a pathetic thing, aren't you?" She whispered. "Me, too." She smiled sadly, and took a deep breath. "You know, if you want to make friends, you can't just go around acting like you're going to eat everything in sight." The creature made a confused noise, halfway between a chirp and a squeal. Her hand rested on its neck, which felt smooth and slimy. It tilted its head towards her, and her heart stopped. She stared at it, positive it was going to lunge and swallow her whole. When it didn't move, she felt herself gradually relaxing. "Okay," she murmured. "Okay." More determined, her hands fastened down onto the collar. 

The monster reared up, making a displeased screech, but she tried calming it down. "It's alright, it's alright! I'm trying to take it off!" Her hand rested at the monster's side, patting it. The beast whined, shaking its head and growling softly, but it didn't seem threatening. Susie wasted no time in grabbing the collar, and lifting it up over the creature's head. It slipped off and clattered to the floor. The beast sniffed at it, before looking back at Susie. 

"See? Does that feel better?" Susie smiled, feeling proud of herself. She sheathed her blade, and the beast suddenly opened its mouth. "Oh, shit!" Susie cried, moving to dodge, but the monster was too quick. It jumped at her, and she screamed in terror. Stupid, naïve Susie. There she goes again, trusting another strange being and getting betrayed by it. She should've known better, especially after Jed! Granted, she'd felt bad for the beast in front of her. She'd known it wasn't human, so she didn't think it would do all the awful things like Jed had. If it wanted to kill her, it'd just eat her, not torture her like Jed had done. That had comforted her, but also led to her apparent downfall. She should've just killed this creature.

She braced herself for teeth sinking into her face, but instead, she felt something wet and hot slide across her cheek. "What the fuck?" Susie breathed, turning her head. The beast was staring back at her, or staring as best as it could with no eyes. Its breath smelled like blood and rotting corpses. She wrinkled her nose, trying not to gag. She wiped off her cheek with disgust, but at least this thing wasn't eating her. Then again, it might just be getting a taste of her before it devoured her. But the way the thing sat beside her, its head tilted slightly, she found herself smiling. It just reminded her so much of a deformed, deadly dog. 

"Aw. You're not so bad after all, are you, buddy?" She patted the monster on its head, and it leaned into her touch. What was it even doing here, anyway? Why was it in the Entity's realm? It couldn't be a survivor. A killer, maybe? She furrowed her brow. It didn't seem like killer material when it was nuzzling into her hand like a kitten, or when it had recoiled in pain at her slashing its face. Maybe it was just a henchman of the Entity. Was that a thing? Maybe the Entity wanted a mutilated, creepy ass dog that looked like a flower. Yeah, she doubted that very highly, but it was the best excuse she could come up with on the spot.

"Come on, boy! Girl? Uh . . . Thing?" Susie faltered, confused at what she could call this creature. It didn't have any genitals (which, honestly, thank God) but that made Susie wonder how this monster even reproduced. She shook her head. She didn't need to worry about that. But then she was wondering how it peed, and — she whacked herself. When would her brain ever stop fucking thinking? She got up, gently moving the creature off of her. It straightened up to its full height, and wasn't walking on all fours anymore. It looked more humanoid like this, like something out of Alien or Predator. She felt herself shudder. 

"Please don't lay eggs in me and have them burst out of my chest," she said uneasily. She eyed the creature warily, but it just moved past her, sniffing obnoxiously. She followed it reluctantly, and wondered what the rest of the Legion would say when they found this out. Julie would completely freak, screaming and probably booking it. Joey would think it was cool, but understandably react defensively and try to drag Susie away. Frank would just resort to violence and try killing the creature, without even considering it could be good. Frank usually acted first, then thought later. Susie didn't want her new friend to die like that. She would feel like she'd let it down. She wanted to protect it. It seemed . . . Innocent.

As innocent as a monstrous creature could be, anyway. 

It didn't have real human nature inside of it. It behaved more like a rabid dog than anything. It craved blood and food, but also comfort and affection. It didn't seem to consider morbid pleasure or hobbies. It didn't kill for sport or for fun. It would just hunt to survive. It wasn't like her, with an actively working conscience. And it definitely wasn't like Jed, who manipulated her and took advantage of her. If Susie wanted, she could have killed the creature and been done with it. But she chose to accept it, and to try and help it out. 

Susie led the beast out of the chalet, and into the snow. It groaned and squeaked with discomfort as it walked through the snow, dropping onto all fours abruptly. It began digging at the snow, like it was trying to make a burrow. Susie watched it with amusement, a small smile on her face. A couple of mounds of snow came close to smacking her in the face as the creature dug, but she knew it wasn't aimed at her on purpose. The monster suddenly pat the ground, soft gurgling emitting from its closed mouth. It then shifted its head towards her. "What did you even do?" She asked curiously, looking down. There was nothing there.

Before she could react, the monster sprung forward and grabbed her. Susie emitted a shriek as it wrapped its arms around her. She felt terrified, flashbacks of Jed entering her mind. His haunting mask, his hands roaming all over her, his cruel taunting and his — she choked back a sob. She didn't want to go through that again, she didn't — she screamed in terror, tears streaming down her cheeks as the beast suddenly dove straight through the ground, taking her with it. Susie was stricken as the world seemed to fly all around her. It was like they were teleporting, traversing through a whole different dimension. She was speechless.

The beast suddenly ripped through the earth above them, crawling out of the ground and dragging her up with it. It dropped her onto a smooth, tiled floor, and then she saw it. A portal, clearly visible in front of her. It looked disgusting. It was pulsing and glowing, and when she tried looking down it, she could see flashes of snow from her realm. This creature had actually made a portal! Not only was it dangerous because of its teeth and claws, it could also teleport to anywhere it so pleased! Susie didn't know how to process that information. She felt her head throb, and she clutched her temple. It all was just too much. 

She didn't mean to, but before she could stop herself, she'd fainted. 

When she came to, she was in a room that smelled like carrion. She sat up, looking around deliriously. She felt dizzy. She rubbed at her eyes, and reared back in terror when she saw the creature still in front of her. It peered up at her before looking back down. Susie noticed it was eating something. A rat. The thing was long since dead, intestines spilling messily out onto the ground as the creature gnawed hungrily on one of its bones. Susie covered her mouth, shuddering hard as she tried not to vomit. She gagged, tasting bile. She barely managed to control herself. When she'd calmed down, she exhaled heavily. Where was she? She seemed to be in a laboratory of sorts. Was this where the thing had been kept?

She stood up on wobbly legs, and leaned against the wall. That's when she saw bullet holes through the walls, and blood splatters. She flinched away, and glanced back at the creature. "I'm going . . . To explore," she said feebly. It glanced up at her, definitely not processing a word she was saying but chittering back in response anyway. When it went back to eating, she took that as a sign it wasn't going to stop her from leaving the room. So, she went. She roamed through the halls, peering into rooms curiously. One stood out to her, however, and she slipped inside. Her gaze rested on a dead body in the corner, and she swallowed forcibly.

There were long gashes in the man's chest, and it didn't take a rocket science to figure out what'd killed him. Susie's new buddy. She shuddered, and took small steps forward. Papers were scattered everywhere across the ground. She picked one up, one that wasn't covered in blood and impossible to read. Her gaze darted quickly over the paper, realizing it was a file. 

SUBJECT: The Demogorgon. 

Big, bold letters stared hauntingly at Susie, and directly below them was a picture of the creature she'd met. These people called it the Demogorgon. So that was its name. She shuddered. The picture was of the Demogorgon in chains, straining against them. Its mouth was parted into a scream, spit flying everywhere as four men holding guns and long electric pokers prodded at it, no doubt shocking it. Susie felt a bolt of anger. How dare they mistreat it! It wasn't that hard for her to just be peaceful with the damn thing, even when it was aggressive, it quickly could calm. Why did they have to resort to pain and violence for it? The Demogorgon didn't deserve that. It was just an animal. A scared, defenseless animal.

Below the picture was information about the Demogorgon. 

Its home realm is a place we call the upside down. It is directly underneath our realm. Everything in our world looks the same in its world, only darker, gloomier, and with no humans or our animals. Only weird foliage and slime from the upside down. There are a variety of creatures within the upside down that we have managed to catch a glimpse of, but none are as powerful as the Demogorgon. With its powerful claws, it's remarkable lunge, and deadly teeth — it easily could dominate our food chain. On top of that, we have discovered the way it entered our realm. A full grown Demogorgon has the ability to create portals, where it may traverse through the upside down at will — and now, OUR world at will. This is because the main portal between our world and the upside down has been broken, allowing whatever can get in access. That means the Demogorgon, as it is the only one with teleporting abilities. 

We captured the Demogorgon after killing three others of its kind. We wanted to keep at least one alive. The Demogorgon is usually a solitary creature, but the younger ones we call Demo-dogs will group up in packs. The Demogorgon we kept alive accidentally (or maybe purposefully?) allowed the three Demo-dogs to enter after it into our realm. And since they could not yet create their own portals to escape, they were stuck here. And they killed anything and everything they could. Merciless things, they are. They seem to only focus on bloodlust. When we defeated them, and took control of the Demogorgon, we forced it to and from our realm and its with a camera attached to its collar. We would drag it back with a chain, so it couldn't escape. We learned a lot from the Demogorgon, but its slowly becoming too aggressive for us to use anymore. Its already managed to kill twenty of our workers. 

Eventually, we'll kill it. But we can get more. 

Susie stopped reading after that, dropping the file with shaking hands. She understood more about the Demogorgon, now. It'd killed people, but it had been frightened and in a whole new realm. It'd only wanted to hunt and live peacefully otherwise. But these people had ruined it. Maybe she was wrong, though. Maybe the Demogorgon was just as vicious as the Demo-dogs, killing whatever it could and desecrating the land. But remembering the way it licked her face, the way it trotted around on all fours — it was a bit hard to picture. 

She'd seen enough. She dropped the file. The Demogorgon had clearly managed to escape this facility, and judging by the reek of blood in the air and the various bullet holes in walls and windows, it had killed everyone and everything opposing it. The drive for freedom had given it strength. Susie was proud of it. It had escaped its captors, and enacted vengeance. She wished she could've done the same with Jed; killed him, and fled. But she hadn't been as lucky. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and kicked the dead body of the employee in the corner. He was wearing a white lab coat, and his eyes were glazed over in everlasting terror. 

"Asshole," she spat. And she kicked him once more in the head for good measure. 

She returned to the Demogorgon, who had finished eating the rat and was sitting up, staring at her as she entered the room like it could actually see her. She smiled feebly at it, even though it didn't know what smiling meant and couldn't see her doing so. "Hey, Buddy," she said. She decided Buddy would be the Demogorgon's name. She didn't want to just always call it 'the creature' or the monster or the Demogorgon. The Demogorgon was what the lab people had named it. She was naming it Buddy. Sure, it was a cliche name. More fitting for a German Shepherd or a golden retriever, not a slobbering monster which killed humans like flies. But she thought it fit — and no one would be able to tell her otherwise. 

"I wish you could talk," Susie murmured. She carefully approached Buddy, who extended his head forward and sniffed her. She decided to stick with calling Buddy a 'he' since always referring to him as 'it' just made her feel bad. She found him more like a male than a female, anyway. If she was wrong, then — well, she was a shitty friend. She reached out tentatively, and Buddy rubbed his closed face against her hand. He made a soft cooing sound, which she could only assume meant he was at peace. Not like his growling and screaming from earlier. 

Susie was glad she'd met Buddy. She didn't know why or how he'd been able to create a portal to her realm, but she was grateful he had. She wondered for a moment if the Entity had a hand in doing so. Perhaps it had. But that didn't mean she had to owe that spidery wretch anything. She ran her hand over Buddy's flat head. "If only I could show you to my friends," she muttered sadly. She knew Amanda wouldn't accept Buddy, she'd probably only use him for further experimenting, like putting reverse bear traps on his head. She didn't want that for Buddy. She cared for Amanda, but the woman could be cruelly sadistic sometimes. Susie knew that well, and she wanted to protect Buddy from being hurt. After being tortured by freaky scientists, she didn't think it was fair to subject him to more torment. She would keep him far away from the other killers as best as she possibly could. 

Especially far away from Jed. 

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of him. What would happen if Jed met Buddy while she wasn't with him? What if Jed hurt Buddy? Or even worse, what if Buddy reacted in a friendly manner to Jed, and didn't despise him as Susie did? Couldn't animals sense bad people? Maybe Buddy could do that. He hadn't killed her, after all, so maybe she was right. Maybe he'd rip Jed to shreds if Buddy ever saw him. She smiled in bitter sadness at the thought. Buddy suddenly whined, as if he could sense her declining mood. She sighed softly.

"I'm sorry, Bud," she mumbled. "I'm just thinking." She scratched Buddy on his head. "I don't know what's wrong with me." Susie sniffled, feeling tears rising into her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't stop thinking about Jed. She remembered when she fainted, how if it were anyone else but Buddy she might have been taken advantage of. Instead, Buddy had simply carried her upstairs to what she presumed was his den or something. She felt grateful for the Demogorgon. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Buddy and smiling tearfully. Why she was hugging a monster she literally just met? She didn't know. She'd done it before, though, so why did it matter? She just wanted comfort. She couldn't get it from the rest of the Legion. She didn't want them to be worried. So, she decided to settle for Buddy. He wouldn't be able to worry like they would. 

For a second, she thought Buddy would wrap those long arms of his around her to hug her back, but he didn't. He probably didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't lash out at her. He sensed she was upset. Probably something about her scent and all that. She wasn't too good in science class, she didn't really get all that pheromone, hormone junk. She eventually moved away from Buddy and got up. She should probably be heading back home. 

"Buddy, I have to go," Susie said softly. Buddy of course didn't process what those words meant. But when she turned away from him and left the room, he let out a howl. When she started walking down bloodstained stairs, she heard his footsteps charging after her. She turned around just in time to see Buddy arriving at her side, looking down at her. Drool dripped onto her hair, and she groaned. "Buddy!" She complained, wiping it away. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. For a second, she wished she'd worn her mask. She hadn't expected any . . . Monstrous visitors, so she'd kept it off. Amanda had advised her to do so, saying it wasn't healthy to just stay hidden all the time. That she needed to start accepting herself. All that jazz. Susie pushed the thoughts out of her head, and looked up at Buddy. 

He gurgled, and she wondered if the noises he made was his way of trying to communicate with her. The barrier between them felt high, and she wished it wasn't there. She gently pet Buddy's arm. "What are you trying to tell me, Bud?" She asked. "I have to go home, now." 

They reached the downstairs level, passing by rooms filled with boxes and deceased bodies. Eventually, Susie found her way back to the portal with snow billowing around it. She crouched down, thinking. She couldn't traverse it without Buddy's help. She looked over at him. "Can you take me home?" She asked, patting the portal for emphasis. Buddy sniffed her, then circled the portal. He grunted and snarled to himself, before curling up around the portal almost stubbornly. Susie crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey. Don't do this, now," she warned. "I need to get back to my friends." Buddy hissed at her, whipping his head around. She wasn't deterred, though. "Come on. I know you must get what I'm implying here. I need to go. I can't stay here forever. I have—a job to do." That's right. I have trials . . . 

Before Buddy could react, a clanging noise sounded in the distance. 

Susie went rigid, fear filling every inch of her body. "Buddy?" She said, her voice raising to a higher pitch. "I'd like to go home, now!" She whimpered. Buddy paid her no mind, instead rising to his full height. He sniffed the air, and then took off with a scream in the other direction. "Buddy!" Susie gasped. She faltered. He'd clearly caught on to the smell of something. Or someone. A deep, primal part of Susie fizzled with fear. In the corner of her mind, her anxiety whispered to her that it was Jed, coming to get her. She covered her ears, blinking away tears. No. She was tough. She could take him, now that he didn't have her tricked anymore. She drew her drill from its sheathe, and started to chase off after Buddy.

She turned a corner, following the sound of loud footsteps and snarling. She halted at Buddy's side in front of a large set of metallic doors. They were exit gates, and they were opened. Inside stood a man Susie was familiar with, but lucky, not one she really disliked. 

It was the Trapper. He stood there, breathing heavily through his mask and holding his signature bear traps in one hand, and a cleaver in his other. Susie wondered why the hell he was here. And apparently, from the way the Trapper stepped back in surprise, he wondered why the hell Susie was there, too. "Legion?" Trapper demanded. "What are you doing here?" She suddenly was all too aware that her mask was off. She felt so vulnerable and exposed. She wanted to hide behind Buddy and cower away. But she didn't. She just lifted her chin up high, and forced herself to remain strong. It didn't matter if she had her mask on or not. 

"B— he brought me here." Susie stumbled over her words, nearly saying 'Buddy' but stopping herself. The Trapper scowled behind his mask, his brow furrowing. "I knew this was a bad idea," he muttered almost to himself. He then straightened up. "I don't know if you noticed, but that thing is a monster," the Trapper stated matter-of-factly. "It doesn't speak English, and it was never an ounce of humanlike before, nor now. It probably brought you here to store you as a snack. Its meant to be a new killer. With it came two survivors, a boy and a girl. When I tried demonstrating the rules to it, it created a portal and left me." The Trapper grit his teeth. "And obviously, that's not acceptable. It has to adjust to this life. The Entity will not accept anything less. If it can't make any sacrifices, it will be punished." 

"I'm sure you know that better than anyone else, don't you, Susie?" 

Susie stiffened, and a cold chill like ice spread through her. Her heart seemed to stop, and she stared at the Trapper. What the hell was he saying to her? Her thoughts darted to Jed. He could only be talking about what that bastard had done to her. He knew. He knew! Jed must have told him, that dick, that fucking dick! If Trapper knew, everyone knew. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and she fought against breaking down. Anxieties and shame rolled through her brain. Everyone would mock her. Amanda would know the truth, her legion — they'd be disgusted with her. She'd be disowned. She started to hyperventilate.

"Relax." The Trapper's soothing tone caught her off-guard. She looked up at him, blinking past damp lashes. "I only know because I'm the Entity's . . . Lapdog, so to speak. I know everything that goes on here. Obviously, I would know what happened. But I won't tell anyone, and the Ghostface hasn't opened his mouth, either. You're his prize, and no matter how much he threatens you, he doesn't like sharing with anyone else. He's a selfish bastard. But you know that." Susie trembled. The fact that the Trapper had possibly seen her being raped and killed made her feel weak. Why hadn't he done anything to stop it, to help her— 

"I know what you're thinking." The Trapper's voice was firm. "I couldn't help you. It was your punishment. You were failing each trial you were put into. You were the worst performing killer out of everyone here. And on top of that, your naïve and trusting nature caused you to even form an uneasy alliance with some survivors. You'd always let the ones like that go. And even then, you could barely catch and kill any that you didn't willingly spare. The Ghostface, however, was excelling in everything he did. He's had zero escapes so far. Not a single person has even gotten hatch under his watch. So, the Entity rewarded him, and punished you. It's just how it goes. I was powerless to stop any of it from happening. I couldn't even warn you, but I don't think you would have believed me anyway." 

Susie swallowed past the lump in her throat. "S-so . . . Now that I'm doing b-better . . . Does that mean he can't hurt me anymore?" She hated how feeble and desperate she sounded, but she had to know. The Trapper hesitated, and her heart shattered. "I don't know," he admitted. "You're improving, but the Ghostface is easily one of the Entity's favorite killers. I'm not even close. The only reason I have this information is because I'm the first killer that was ever here. Otherwise, I'd be clueless. If he wants to hurt you again, I highly doubt the Entity will stop him. Even if you're doing well." Susie felt like she'd vomit.

"So how can I protect myself?" Susie cried out desperately. Buddy whined, nestling into her side at her anguish. The Trapper noted their closeness, but didn't comment on it yet. "Just be careful," the Trapper advised. "I doubt the Entity will interfere and make you powerless against Ghostface, but it won't stop him if he gets the upper hand. All you need to do is be ready for him, and beat him. Maybe that will persuade him to back off." Susie took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay," she said meekly. "I can do that." She forced herself to seem more confident, even though she knew the Trapper didn't buy her pathetic act one bit. 

"And as for it—" the Trapper pointed towards the Demogorgon, who instinctively shrieked at him. "I need to finish training it. Maybe enforce some brutal strength to get it to listen to me." Susie stiffened, and instantly jumped to Buddy's defense. "No!" She exclaimed. "I can train him! Just don't hurt him. He's been through enough!" The Trapper sighed. "Yes, I know exactly what it has been through. But that doesn't mean I can go easy on it. The Entity will be much more cruel than me if it fails. If you want that responsibility on your hands, then train it. But I would think you'd know better than to keep making friends willy-nilly." Susie almost laughed, but couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she just shook her head. 

"The Demogorgon isn't like him," she spat. "He helped me, and he's just an animal. A monstrous animal, but an animal nonetheless. He's like . . . An overgrown dog. He just wants some affection, sometimes." She patted Buddy's head to demonstrate. The Trapper rolled his eyes. "If it eats you, that's your own damn fault," he warned. Susie shrugged. "Wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me," she retorted. The Trapper softened for a moment before sighing. "Good luck, kid." He turned away, and with his back to her, he hesitated. "You know where to find me if you need me." He threw something at her, then left. Buddy automatically shrieked and tried to scratch at what was tossed towards Susie. 

"It's okay, it's okay." After calming Buddy down, Susie bent over and picked up what the Trapper had thrown. It was a cracked, small bone. An offering, to cast to the Entity. It would bring her to the Trapper's realm. She slipped the bone into her pocket, and looked over towards Buddy. Maybe she could stay with him, for just a little bit longer. To train him.

For a moment Susie was aware that she looked completely different than what the Trapper had last seen of her. But he must've known she changed styles. So he probably wasn't too shocked. She wished she could've seen his jaw drop, if he was impressed with her new look or if he thought she looked stupid. She cleared her thoughts sternly. She didn't need some random man approving of her looks. As long as she enjoyed it, that was all that mattered. 

Susie turned towards Buddy. This would take a while. But it'd be easy, wouldn't it? Like a piece of cake. Or so she tried telling herself . . . She took a deep breath and got started.

————————

It was not easy whatsoever.

Susie returned to Mount Ormond with frizzy hair, slobber all over her face and clothes, and a tired demeanor. Teaching Buddy how to use hooks was hard, especially when he couldn't see. She had to grab squirming rats, and guide him to place them on hooks to help him learn. He'd eaten them all off of the hooks, so Susie felt a little bad for what the survivors were about to experience. Susie was worried for Buddy, though. He seemed to understand to put his prey on hooks, now, but would he even be able to catch the survivors to kill them? She didn't want the Entity to hurt Buddy just because he couldn't capture his prey. 

She'd eventually convinced him to help her return home after begging and crying to him. He'd sensed her distress and had returned her, but she had a feeling he'd be back later. She wasn't opposed to him visiting again. She enjoyed his company. She made her way quickly into the chalet. She felt uncomfortable being outside by herself, ever since Jed's torture. 

"Susie!" Julie's exclamation made Susie look over in surprise. Julie hurtled towards her, tackling her into a tight hug. Confused but welcoming, Susie hugged her best friend back. Joey and Frank quickly approached them, but stepped back and wrinkled their noses. "God, Suze, I love you but you smell fucking awful!" Julie cried. "What the hell happened to you?! Where did you go?!" Susie sniffed herself. She smelled like Buddy's drool and rotten meat. Just great. She'd have to pray to the Entity to clean these clothes. She really liked them. 

"I was just helping a new killer out," Susie explained. "And they happen to smell like dog shit?" Frank asked in a deadpan tone. Susie shrugged. "I don't judge," she responded breezily. She'd let the Legion figure out the new killer was a monster later. She didn't want to be the one to tell them. "Well, whoever the fuck they were, they left a fucking note." Frank took something out of his pocket, shoving it angrily towards Susie. She frowned. "What?" She asked incredulously. Like hell Buddy could write. She wanted to laugh at them.

But — Susie felt a chill ripple down her spine. She took the note, flipping it over. In neat, elegant handwriting Susie read: Better watch out for your youngest member of the Legion. She's flown the coop, and eventually she'll fly too high for you to catch her. But don't worry. She'll be safe with me. Susie instantly knew who was responsible for this. She felt icy cold rage, and even fear, enter her body. She crumpled the note up angrily.

"This is bullshit!" Susie lashed out, not knowing what else to do. She ripped the note up and stepped on it, feeling fury wash over her. "The new killer can't even fucking write," she spat. "Then who wrote this?!" Frank demanded accusingly. "Hell if I know!" Susie lied. "But if they even try messing with me, I'll rip them open and feed them their own goddamn intestines!" Frank stepped closer to her, a cold look in his gaze. "Cut the bullshit, Susie," he snarled. "Something's been up with you, and you won't fucking tell us. What's that about?" 

"You keeping secrets from us?" Frank grabbed harshly onto her jaw, forcing her to look at him. Julie and Joey were deathly quiet, just watching their leader assert his dominance. They couldn't stop him. They wouldn't stop him. Susie shuddered, her brain flashing to Jed and she recoiled. "Don't touch me!" She shouted, slapping Frank's hand away. She heard Julie gasp. "Susie," Julie tried reaching out to her, but Susie jumped away from her like a startled cat. A look of hurt entered Julie's eyes, and Susie felt a brief sense of pity and guilt for her actions before it dissolved. "Tell me what the fuck is the matter with you!" Frank yelled, grabbing onto her arm and spinning her around. "Nothing! Just leave me alone!" She hissed. 

That was the bad thing about Frank. He would keep his distance, and keep his mouth shut, until he couldn't anymore. And when he couldn't, everything would come spilling out like a waterfall and end up into one huge shit show. And right now it was the biggest one yet. Susie wanted to stop being such a bitch, to just tell them what happened, but she couldn't. She had to protect them, and herself. Jed was a dangerous man, but she was just as deadly. Especially when her and her friends' lives were on the line. She had to be a bitch right now. 

Frank shoved her back, and Susie stumbled, glowering up at him. "Just get out of here," Frank snarled. Susie tensed. "What?" She asked indignantly. "Get out!" Frank yelled, shaking some of the paintings on the wall. Susie flinched, backing away. He wanted her to leave. She felt like he was disowning her, outcasting her — discarding her. She knew it wasn't true. He was just mad, and sending her away so he didn't hurt her or do something he'd regret. She knew Frank. But his method wasn't the best at the moment. Especially after that damn note. Susie remained still, and Frank glared at her. "Did you not fucking hear me?" He spat.

"Loud and clear." Susie's voice suddenly turned empty, cold. She spun around on her heel and left Frank. Fuck him. Fuck all of them. She'd go on her own, note be damned. If Jed wanted to start shit with her . . . Bring it on. She'd take him. And she'd win. She was too riled up and furious to lose. She marched out of the chalet, ignoring Julie's calls after her and Joey's pleading with Frank. She entered the cold of the snow and stormed away. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. She just wanted to go, wanted to go— 

Her hand rested over the bone in her pocket. She pulled it out, and looked at it resting in the center of her palm. She walked further through the snow, away from the chalet, and took a deep breath. When she looked up, she caught the flicker of tassels and the glint of a familiar white mask. Her whole body turned frozen, but then, she was gone from Ormond. 

And reappeared in the MacMillan Estate. 

The bone dissolved in her hand, and she exhaled heavily. She'd seen him. He'd been watching her. He'd seen her whole argument with the Legion. She trembled, but started walking forward nonetheless. She watched the grass carefully for bear traps, narrowly avoiding stepping into a couple. She approached the groaning storehouse looming in front of her, hearing the sound of a blade being sharpened. She was glad the Trapper was present. If he was in a trial, she would've come here for no reason. And she also hated being alone. 

"You came to see me so soon, kid, what's the deal?" The Trapper spoke as soon as she stepped inside the building. He leaned back from the bench he was standing over, turning to face her. He still had his mask on, of course, while she was completely bare. "I got into a fi—" He waved his hand, interrupting her. "A fight with the Legion, I know." She felt irritation simmer through her. How did he always know fucking everything? "Then why'd you ask?" She snapped angrily. He shrugged. "No reason." He wiped dirt off his hands onto his overalls, and Susie scowled. "How did your training with the monster go?" He asked. 

"Fine," she responded curtly. "He knows to put his prey on hooks now." The Trapper nodded, satisfied. "Good." He looked away, and she stepped closer. "Tell me what you know about the Ghostface!" She blurted out in a rush. The Trapper froze, looking back at her. 

"I can't just tell you—" he began, but she cut him off. "I don't care!" She exclaimed. "Please. Please! I need to know." The desperation in her voice seemed to make him hesitate. Susie needed this information. Jed knew everything about her. He knew her from the inside and out. He could manipulate her however he wanted, because he knew every little thing she feared and hated. She wanted to get under his skin, too. But she couldn't, not without help. She wanted to hurt him, just like he hurt her. She wanted the upper hand, just for once. Especially with knowing he was back for her, with that dumb note. She needed to know. 

"He left me a note," she continued. "And I saw him. I saw him. Before I came here. He's watching me, Trapper. Hunting me. I need to get the upper hand somehow, but I can't do it without help. You know he likes playing mind games. Help me win for once!" She stepped closer pleadingly, and the Trapper sighed, rubbing his hands over his mask in agitation. "The Entity might get upset with me," he murmured. "I told you he's one of her favorites, remember?" Susie stepped even closer. "Who cares? Don't tell me you fear that spidery cunt." She scoffed, and the Trapper stilled. She suddenly hesitated. Had she gone too far? 

She looked at the scars all over the Trapper's body. The metal and hooks embedded into his flesh. She swallowed down bile. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed him. Maybe she should've just sucked it up and dealt with things on her own. She didn't want him upset with her. But then, the Trapper sighed and threw his hands up into the air with defeat. "Fine. What do you want to know?" She beamed, proud of her victory. "Really?" She asked excitedly. He nodded. "Yes. Now hurry up, before I change my goddamn mind," he snapped in irritation.

Susie smiled like a child on Christmas Day. Where should she even begin? What should she even ask? She scratched her chin like a pondering philosopher, much to the Trapper's annoyance. "What was his childhood like?" She inquired after a few more silent moments. She was genuinely intrigued. She wanted to know. Maybe his childhood could explain what shaped him into being such a goddamn monster. The Trapper sighed, shifting and turning away from her. "I don't know," he said curtly. Susie kept quiet, and the Trapper cracked his knuckles. "Okay, fine." He glanced back at her. "All I know about his childhood is that he was born in Utah, and had wealthy parents who neglected him and spoiled him to make up for it. It might explain why he's no narcissistic and detached." Susie shrugged. Maybe it did. 

"Any friends? Was he popular in school?" She pressed. The Trapper threw his hands up. "How the hell would I know?" He snapped. "I don't go peering into every single memory of his. But yes, he was popular in school. He was manipulative, knew how to treat and handle certain people. I'd also assume he was a complete teacher's pet. You know, the classic douche." The Trapper leaned against the wall, and Susie nodded. It sounded exactly like him. "What about . . . Did he kill anyone — no. How many people did he kill?" Susie questioned a little timidly, feeling nervous. Why was she so nervous? Maybe she was anxious to find out Jed's kill count. Anxious to see just how big of a monster the man who raped her was. She felt sweat breaking out over her face, and she wiped it away roughly, shuddering. 

"He went from Utah all the way to the south on a killing spree," the Trapper explained. "Completely destroyed towns. Robbed families of their mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings. And he didn't give a damn. He'd document his own killings, work on reports about his own doing. Interview the families of the victims he murdered himself. And no one knew, until it was too late. By the time they figured out it was him, the bastard was gone. In total, he killed about one hundred and seventy two people. Going under various aliases." Susie buried her face in her hands. Nearly two hundred people! Jed was absolutely fucking crazy!

"And his name isn't Jed, Susie." Susie looked up, her eyes wide. "What?" She yelped. So he'd lied to her about his own damn name?! She felt another burst of hatred towards Jed — no, the Ghostface. "It was his favorite alias to go by," the Trapper explained. "Besides the Ghostface, of course. But his real name . . . It's Danny Johnson." Susie froze. Danny Johnson. What a mundane and simple name for a person so deranged, psycho, and unhinged. He could pass by anyone without them batting an eye. He'd never appear suspicious. That is, not until he was far away and clear of any repercussions when his victims caught on to his bullshit. Susie clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to kill him.

"Anything else?" Susie murmured. The Trapper shook his head. "That's all I know. Besides the other fact that he has an obsession with taking pictures. But you already understood that. He's a control freak and a perfectionist, too, but it doesn't take a genius to piece that together, now does it?" Susie shook her head. Danny Johnson fit that exact insane description. She wanted to strangle him, make him pay for all the shitty things he'd done . . . 

"Don't go running your mouth about what I told you." The Trapper suddenly stepped menacingly towards her, and Susie lifted her hands in front of her defensively. "My lips are zipped!" She squeaked, and the Trapper waved a huge hand in a shooing manner. "Good. Now get out of here. The Entity is pulling me in to a trial." Susie nodded, backing away. She turned and abandoned the MacMillan Estate, running recklessly across the grassy grounds. 

Somehow, she avoided stepping into any bear traps. She left the MacMillan Estate in a rush. She didn't know the exact route she had to take to get back to Mount Ormond. Maybe she should've asked the Trapper for directions. She tried closing her eyes and praying to the Entity, but when she opened her eyes again she was definitely far from home. Instead of the familiar snowy landscape of Ormond, she was in a chilly autumn environment. Leaves crunched underneath her feet as she walked, and she saw Jack-O-lanterns sitting on porches. The air tasted like cheap candy and pumpkins. She loved this time. Halloween . . .

But, wait. Wasn't this Haddonfield? Her brow furrowed. Haddonfield belonged to Michael Myers. That creepy ass stalker — the bastard was as bad as Ghostface! Her hand rested firmly over her drill, and she glanced around warily. Myers was a couple of inches taller than Ghostface, and they both were taller than her. She had a shot at winning against Johnson, but Myers? She didn't think she'd be so lucky. She quickened her pace. She just wanted to get out of this place. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and soon, she broke out into a run. 

She was almost out of the realm, she could see the exit gates which would hopefully take her back to Ormond, or someplace close to it. The freedom was so damn near, she could taste it. She went to dart away, into safety, when a shape appeared directly behind her. Susie only realized due to the faint sound of heavy breathing. She froze, and whipped around. 

She went to stab Myers, but he'd beat her to it. 

His large hand clasped around her throat, lifting her high up off the ground. Susie tried to scream, but her air flow was slowly cutting off. She felt his fingers curl across her neck, pressing into her windpipe. She began seeing stars, dots and flashes of white light dancing across her blurred vision. She punched furiously at Myers' shoulders, coughing and trying to formulate a scream. Who did he think she was, one of the damn survivors?! She wouldn't be surprised. Without her mask, and with her whole new look, he probably didn't recognize her. That might've been her own fault. She was on his turf, after all. But still; she couldn't die! She wouldn't let him kill her. She felt dizziness wash abruptly over her. She was losing it. 

She managed to unsheathe her drill, and with shaking hands, plunged the blade into Myers' shoulder. He let out a loud grunt that sounded like an angry 'ahh' and released her. She fell to the floor, her bloody drill whirring from the impact of meeting flesh. She clutched it close to her chest, wheezing painfully and trying to regain her senses. Myers was covering his face with his arm, stunned, and that's when she clambered to her feet clumsily. She was racing away from him, back towards the exit gates, before he even had proper time to react.

She was gone before he could reach her again. He'd missed his chance to kill her. She left, unknowing she'd caused another deranged stalker to form an unhealthy obsession with her.

————————

She returned to Mount Ormond eventually, narrowly avoiding the Huntress, who would no doubt try to kidnap her and chain her up in her basement. Creepy, but at least she knew the woman wouldn't rape her and torture her. She stepped onto snow, and instantly felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was home. But then she remembered; she wasn't supposed to be home. Frank had sent her away. He'd . . . Thrown her out. Like she was nothing more than trash. But she'd deserved it, hadn't she? She was being understandably — unpleasant and rude. Yet so was he. They were both in the wrong. But she doubted Frank would apologize.

Susie kicked at a mound of snow, irritated. She sighed, seeing a cloud of her own breath fanning out in front of her. She hated arguing with any of the Legion, but Frank in particular. It took ages for him to calm down. Everyone knew he had anger issues. He usually fought with Julie and Joey. Never Susie. Not until now, not until here. Over her poor performances in trials, and now over this. He was probably growing to loathe her. She felt a pang enter her heart. She didn't want Frank to ever dislike her. She'd fought so hard back in the real world to always earn his approval. Hell, she'd gone so far to earn it, she'd killed a man for him. If that wasn't a sign of her devotion and loyalty, then she didn't know what else was.

She didn't want to stay outside, though. She felt uncomfortable. She knew the Ghostface was waiting. The note proved it. She knew he was watching her. Without thinking, she raised her middle finger up to the empty air around her. She hadn't expected a response. She just wanted to do it, simply in case her worries were right. She really didn't expect a reply.

So when she heard a familiar low, husky (and slimy) voice, she felt her insides chill. The blood in her veins seemed to transform into ice. It was him. It was really him. He had the nerve to approach her out in the open. Was he that confident the Legion wouldn't help her if she needed it? Even if they were fighting, they'd still rush to her aid. She didn't want to turn around. She was without her mask. Vulnerable. She was hurt, bruise marks from Myers' hands around her throat. She felt the urge to cry. She kept still, and didn't dare turn back. 

"I have to say, I like the new look. I'm glad you decided to change things up after I was done with you. You got a new weapon and everything. Your style reminds me of that Pig's. But hey, if I wanted you just because of your style, I would've just banged the Pig. I like you because of so much more. You're mine. And man, your ass still looks good in those pants. I'm also digging the shoes. They're kind of like mine. Leather also suits you. Helps with your curves. And the black hair? Just my style, baby. We can be matching. You like that?" 

Susie whipped around, a glare full of rage and hatred in her eyes. She went to spit venom at the dark figure standing before her, mocking her, but she didn't get the proper opportunity. 

She was whisked off into a trial before she could do anything. 

She opened her tearful eyes to the snowy grounds of Ormond. Only this time, there was no Legion and no J—Danny. Just her, and four other survivors. She thanked the Entity silently. Maybe this was its way of protecting her from Danny. Shoving her into a trial, so she wouldn't have to endure his torment. Her hands trailed up to her face, feeling for her mask. To her horror, her face was bare and pale, exposed to the chills of the winter. She felt like vomiting. In fact, she did vomit. All over the snow, staining it a sickly green-brownish color. 

She tasted bile, scrubbing at her mouth in vain to get rid of the stink. She groaned, slumping over. She was suddenly cursing the Entity. Why bring her into a trial without her damned mask?! Just when she was doing good, doing her job, the damn spider cunt ruins everything! How would she ever face the survivors again, knowing they'd seen her face? It wasn't fair. Everyone took advantage of her. Everyone got to see how weak and pitiful she was. Everyone got to see the real her, but she never got to see the real side of anyone else. 

Her shoulders began to shake, and before she realized what she was doing, she was crying. Gruesome sobs tore from her throat, and she slammed her fists against the ground. She wanted to kill, she wanted to gouge these survivors' eyes out and tear them limb from limb! But she couldn't. The anger and hatred wasn't directed towards them, and she was sick of using them as an outlet. She was mad at her Legion, she was mad at the Ghostface, hell she was even pissed at Myers! And especially at the Entity. The survivors were just toys, simple punching bags she'd been given to vent her fury out on. But Susie just didn't work that way. 

Not for long, at least. 

The Entity intended for her to get worked up enough to send her into trials. So she'd do well, so she'd kill everyone and feed it the energy it needed. But not this time, not this trial. It didn't matter if the Ghostface got to 'punish her' or whatever the fuck the Trapper talked about. If he wanted to try and come for her again, she'd wait for him and vent her anger out onto the person it was rightfully meant to be unleashed upon. Not some poor blokes who didn't do a damn thing wrong to her. They were just defending themselves when slamming pallets into her face or stabbing her shoulder. She'd do the same thing. She could see their side. She could understand their side; put herself in their shoes. Something other killers couldn't do, or didn't want to do. But she was different. She was better. She had empathy.

She was still human. 

She wiped tears from her frigid cheeks. Whatever game the Entity was trying to make her play, she was sick and tired of it. She was done. If it wanted to do to her the shit it'd done to the Trapper, the Wraith — fine. She was ready for it. Maybe if she turned hideous and disfigured, the Ghostface wouldn't find her attractive anymore, and he wouldn't want to rape her. She stood up shakily, just in time to hear hesitant footsteps approaching from behind. She spun around, a look of pure anger and hatred on her face. She seemed unhinged. Perhaps she was unhinged. She could feel herself slipping further and further away from sanity, drifting away gradually. Her conscience fell away like water in her fingers. 

"A-are you okay?" The woman with dark hair and skin was staring at her, her eyes as wide as saucers. Susie straightened up, ignoring how torn-up she felt inside at the fact that her face was exposed. She trembled, her lip quivering. She felt as weak as everyone made her out to be. She was upset that Danny was coming back for her, upset that the ruler of this realm seemed to loathe her, upset that Frank was mad at her, upset that the survivors now knew her identity. "Does it look like I'm okay?" Susie choked out, and the girl seemed speechless.

"I—" the girl stepped forward timidly. It was Claudette. Something clicked in Susie's brain. She remembered Claudette. The girl was obsessed with plants and botany, and back when Susie first arrived here they'd talked for a while before Susie was forced to kill her. Shaking madly, Susie exhaled heavily through gritted teeth. "Just finish the generators and go," She snapped. "I won't hurt you." She stepped forward menacingly. "Unless you tell anyone about seeing my face. If you do, I'll hunt you down and kill you, over and over again. Don't take my warning lightly, I keep my word." The threat seemed to work, and Claudette nodded rapidly. "I won't," she promised. "But please — let me help. You were kind to me. Can't I be kind in return?" Susie remembered the times she'd spared Claudette, giving her the hatch.

"How do you even plan on helping me?" Susie snapped. "There's nothing you can do for me." Claudette frowned. "I can find you something to cover your face," she offered. "Or I-I can just listen to your problems. Maybe I can help solve them." Susie laughed bitterly. "You? A survivor? Help me solve my problems? Forget it. Just escape." Susie blew her off, but Claudette wasn't taking no for an answer. The woman was always insistent upon helping anyone and anything. It was her fatal flaw. She'd always go back for her teammates, sacrifice herself for them — and everyone knew it. Some killers even used it against her. But not Susie. She didn't have the heart. Claudette reminded her of herself sometimes. Just sometimes. Susie looked away, her nails digging into her palms. "Please," Claudette begged her. "I can see you're hurting. Are you injured?" Susie swallowed. Not psychically, she thought.

"No." Susie's tone softened. Who was she fooling, being overly aggressive like this? She sighed. "I just need . . . Something to cover my face." Claudette nodded. "I'll do my best!" She promised, springing away like a rabbit. Susie watched her go, feeling strange. How could someone she'd killed before find enough warmth in their heart to help their own murderer? How could Claudette still feel empathy and compassion for those she should consider soulless monsters? How could the woman trust her enough to get so close, to not believe Susie's distress was a mere act? She knew Frank and Julie had played games with the survivors upon first arriving in the realm: tricking them into thinking they were one of them, and then backstabbing them. Literally. How did Claudette know Susie was not the same? Granted, Susie had spared her and others on various occasions, but — just . . . Why? 

Susie felt guilt sweep through her like a wildfire. It just further proved to her the people trapped here were innocent. They weren't pedophiles, rapists, murderers, they'd done nothing wrong in their lives before this hell. They didn't deserve to be put through endless torture. The ones who did, were her and the other killers. Their roles should be reversed. But Susie doubted half of the survivors would have the heart to even get revenge on their repeated murderers. They'd never kill someone, they'd never hurt another soul. Even in self-defense. They just had morals. Susie didn't. She was sick, just like the other killers here. That made her scared. She didn't want to lose herself. She wanted to find ways to trust others like Claudette did, even despite being hurt over and over again. She didn't think she'd be able to, though. She could feel a darkness descending upon her. It spread, slowly but certainly. 

There was a darkness amongst her. 

Claudette returned with a flourish, and Susie looked up hurriedly. "Here!" Claudette handed Susie a hoodie. "This is Meg's. She gave it to me, to give to you. I'm sure she's peeping around watching somewhere, but she's too nervous to actually approach. The zipper goes all the way up to the top of your head. You just need to cut holes in the fabric for your eyes, mouth, and nose. And you'll be okay!" Susie took the hoodie with shaking hands, and a heavy heart. She slowly slipped it over herself. It smelled like faint perfume, sweat, and blood. It smelled like . . . Meg. The quick, athletic redhead girl. Susie had always liked Meg. She admired the girl for her strength and her cunning, and her compassion for her team. Once again, Susie saw herself in Meg. She used her drill to cut up designated circles in the hoodie, giving her room to talk, breathe, and see. She felt better once everything was done. 

"Thank you." Susie's voice was small. "I appreciate it." Claudette smiled. "No problem." Susie lingered around almost awkwardly, rubbing her arm. "I don't know how to repay you," she confessed. "I-I'll try always letting you guys go, but I do that anyway. Well, I know lately I haven't, but I . . . I-I . . ." What was her excuse? She was using innocent people as punching bags because she was pissed at her rapist? Her gaze fell to the ground in shame. She felt so awful, she was about to throw up again. "We could tell something was off with you," Claudette spoke up timidly. "N-no offense, of course. But we just — we knew something was wrong, you know? It didn't take a genius to figure out something had happened to you, not just because your looks shifted. We figured . . . It was something bad." 

Susie looked up sadly. You don't even know, she thought bitterly. "Yeah," Susie whispered meekly. "I don't really — want to talk about it." Claudette nodded rapidly. "Yeah, sure, I understand." Claudette stepped forward hesitantly. "But, well, not to be weird or anything, uh . . ." Claudette blushed, and Susie tilted her head. "Some of us consider you our favorite killer," she explained in a flustered rush. "You don't tease us, or toy with us. You do things fairly, and never brought a Mori until, um . . . You know. But you even spared us, and talked to us normally. Like you were our friend. That's never happened before. You're one of a kind, Susie. I'm sorry for using your name, b-but — I just — you're different. From — from them."

Susie felt her chest constricting. She never knew she needed to hear all of this until now. She was some of the survivors' favorite killer? Probably because she was bad, and easy to escape from. But Claudette said it wasn't just that. It was because of how she treated them. She treated them humanely, not just like objects. And that seemed to be a game changer for all of the survivors. They considered her different. Different from Danny, from Myers, from even the rest of the Legion and Amanda. She didn't kill for pleasure, she didn't even want to kill in the first place. She did it because she had to. And they seemed to realize that. And they respected her, didn't they? She could see it in the way Claudette was looking up at her. 

"Thank you," Susie choked out. She was fighting back a sob. She wanted to believe Claudette. She wanted to believe she was better than the others, better than the darkness pulling at her mind and her heart. She wanted to have faith in herself to continue sparing the survivors and considering them as innocent victims. But with the clouds circling over her conscience, she didn't know how long that'd last. She didn't know how long her true self would remain in this realm. Her sanity was slipping, bit by bit, and she didn't know how to keep it from spiraling. Could the survivors help her? Or would they just make things worse?

"But I can't fight it forever." Susie's voice was so quiet, Claudette had to strain to hear it. She spoke like she was telling a grave secret, like she wanted no one else to hear. And that was, ultimately, the truth. Claudette gulped. From the emphasis Susie had put on 'it' and the soft tone she'd taken on, Claudette could only guess what the killer was referring to. The Entity. "Are we correct?" Claudette whispered. "Are you being forced to kill?" Susie waited for a few heart-stopping seconds. Was she being forced to kill? She remembered the snowy night in December, crying and begging her friends to let the janitor go as they all took turns stabbing him. Could hear Frank screaming at her in her ears, could feel his rough hands grasp hers and guide her to slit the man's throat. To kill him. She could have struggled harder, kicked Frank away and ran and called the police. But she didn't. Because she loved him, and she loved her friends. Enough to kill for them, albeit unwillingly, but to still kill. 

Yet . . . That was just a one time thing. She didn't expect to continue going on murderous sprees after that poor janitor. Her mind was too frazzled and raw to even consider it. But when she'd been pulled into the Fog, she was once again left with no other choice. She was a killer, ever since she murdered that janitor. She chose this, didn't she? But she wanted to escape. She wanted to be better. She wanted to . . . Be free. She wanted to be the sweet, innocent and naïve Susie again. It didn't feel fair. Why was she cursed to be stuck in hell? 

Susie nodded, a brief little flick of her head, and Claudette looked so sorrowful for her. "I don't deserve your sympathy," Susie insisted immediately, as soon as Claudette opened her mouth. "I still have to kill. It's . . . My job. I can't refuse all the time. But I — I don't want to make it . . . Too painful. I just want — to not get hurt, too." Susie didn't like how much she was revealing to Claudette, so she stopped talking. Claudette nodded, seeming to understand. "Don't worry," she soothed. "We'll help you out. Let's say, in each trial, two of us sacrifice ourselves to you, and the other two escape? Will that be enough for you to escape any punishment?" Susie couldn't comprehend what Claudette was saying. "None of them will agree with you," Susie blurted out. "It's ridiculous. I can't just ask of you all to put yourselves up on meat hooks for me. It's just — barbaric." She looked away, biting her lip. 

"It's what we're used to," Claudette assured her. "And knowing that you're friendly, and feel bad for us — you'd be surprised at how much that means to us. It gives us hope, and something to fight for. If it means dying to keep that hope, then so be it. Two of us will still escape and live on another day, so what does it matter? I'm certain nearly all of us will comply. Sure, a few lost a bit of faith after you started growing harsher with us — but now that I understand, they will, too. We're not here to judge you. We help each other. We can help you, too. You're human, aren't you? We all are. We're in this together." Claudette smiled. Susie's heart broke for the poor girl in front of her. She was too kind, too kind— Susie rushed forward and Claudette flinched, tensed to run— but an attack never came. 

Instead, Susie's arms impulsively wrapped around Claudette in a hug. Susie didn't know why she hugged Claudette. Perhaps it was because the woman moved her. Perhaps it was because she just needed comfort after Ghostface, and Myers. Perhaps it was because Claudette reminded her of Joey's younger sister. Or maybe it was all of the above. Susie usually never initiated contact anymore, not after the incident, but with Claudette — another girl, another victim — it felt . . . Right. It felt right to hug her, and to let her know just how grateful she really was. Susie wasn't good with words. Her actions, though, could speak volumes. And when Claudette didn't feel a blade sink into her spine, she hugged back. 

Susie pulled away quickly, and felt a faint tint appear to her cheeks. She rubbed her neck with embarrassment. "I just — yeah. I . . . Appreciate it," she stammered awkwardly. Claudette giggled. "So do we," she replied cheerfully. She seemed genuinely happy, and Susie's heart fluttered briefly. It was so sweet to see Claudette so enthusiastic, even in such harsh times. "Let me go talk to the others in the trial," Claudette rambled. "I'm sure they'll be so excited!" Claudette turned on her heel, scampering off, and Susie watched her go. She remained in the same spot. Was she making the right choice? Was she potentially putting Claudette and all of the girl's friends in danger? Was she putting herself in danger? What if the Entity had heard everything, and they would all die? Die for good. Susie felt queasy, dizziness washing over her. Maybe the Trapper knew. Maybe he'd tell the Entity. Maybe—

"Susie?" 

Susie looked up, disoriented, and saw four people standing in front of her. The survivors. It was Meg, Laurie, Jeff, and of course Claudette herself.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Laurie suddenly snapped. She was looking at Susie suspiciously, a glint in her baby blue eyes that radiated distrust. Susie could understand. She knew Laurie was Myers' obsession, the girl he couldn't kill that fateful Halloween night. But now, he could kill her over and over again in this nightmarish realm. Her heart ached for Laurie. After her encounter with the Shape, she realized how gruesome he could really be. 

"You can't," Susie retorted honestly. "You can't trust me. I'm a killer. I've killed you all before, there's no saying when I could snap and do it again." She faltered, her voice cracking. Claudette looked at her sympathetically, while Jeff shared a similar expression. He stepped forward timidly. "Susie," he whispered, and at the sound of his voice, Susie was reminded of better days. Of her and the gang laughing as they entered a music store, approaching Jeff and asking him to paint their murals around their resort. Paying him in beer, hanging out with him and laughing. He was a cool guy. He was kind to them. And now, they were killing him. Over and over. It wasn't fair. She didn't want to kill him. She liked him. She'd thought he was a nice man, one of the few truly kind people residing in Ormond. 

And the Entity had to take that all away. 

"Which is why we shouldn't help you," Laurie stated blandly. "Laurie," Jeff murmured, turning to her incredulously. Laurie shook her head, determined. "She's a killer. She said it herself," Laurie insisted. "She'll just lead to our downfall." Jeff bit his lip. "She's different," he replied earnestly. "I feel it. I know it. I knew her before. She was just a sweet kid." He turned to Susie. "No offense, but I always thought you were too young to be hanging out with the Legion. I thought you were too innocent for them. Was I right? I mean, look what happened." He didn't sound accusing or scathing, just sad. "I wanted better for you, kid, really. But I was in no place to tell you who you could or couldn't hang out with, you know?" 

Susie remained silent, and Jeff continued. "When I saw you all here, I was surprised. You're just kids. You aren't killers. You're a child, Susie. What kind of monster would force a child like you into this world?" Jeff moved closer while Susie remained motionless, processing his words. "I don't . . . Have a choice." Susie stammered, and she looked up. She blinked away tears. Her hands clenched into fists. "Yes you do. Right now. We're giving you one. Help us find a better way to live here. To pave a path to freedom. If we start befriending the killers, bringing back their humanity, they will refuse to sacrifice to the Entity — it will starve. And we can all go home." Jeff smiled, and Susie felt her heart ache. Home? She thought drearily. "Some of us don't have a home to go back to," Susie replied bitterly. Jeff looked stubborn. "Homes can be made," he responded strongly. "And this place is not your home, is it, now?" 

No. It never will be. My home is with the Legion. But as long as they're here, then . . . I'm here, too, she thought, swallowing thickly. "No." She shuddered. "Look. The trial is lasting too long. The Entity will grow suspicious." Jeff froze, and the survivors all exchanged nervous glances. Meg suddenly moved forward, quick as a deer, and said, "Sacrifice me." Susie looked over at her in surprise. "What? No. I—" Determined, Meg grabbed onto Susie's hand, the one with the drill. "I've heard enough," the redhead said firmly. "You're our only hope. I intend to keep you strong, and alive, and if that means you having to kill me — then so be it. So, do it. Or I will myself." She sure was scary when she made her mind up. Susie gulped. "I can't." She broke down, feeling her knees buckle. Meg softened, grabbing her shoulder. "Hey. It's okay," she soothed. Meg looked into her eyes through the holes in the hoodie Susie wore. "It'll be alright." Meg smiled. How could the girl smile when she was looking into the face of death?

"I . . . Accept your deal." Susie forced her back up straighter, unsheathing her drill. She looked over to Meg, who stood tall. "I'm sorry," Susie whispered. The other survivors kept rigidly still as Susie raised the blade, plunging it into Meg's chest. The girl's jaw clenched, trying to suppress her scream, but it didn't work. Susie tried to make the down quick, but it was never a swift descent for the survivors. She had to hit her twice. Susie gently pulled her blade from Meg's flesh with a sickening pop, while the others watched in horror. Laurie looked like she wanted to stop what was happening, but she knew she was powerless to stop it. Susie struck Meg once more in the throat, and the girl fell. Susie picked up her limp body, placing it onto a nearby hook. Meg screamed dully before falling silent, slumping over. 

No one moved to save her. Laurie tried, but Claudette grabbed her hand, shaking her head. Claudette turned, approaching Susie. "I'll go next." Susie backed away. "I—" her hands were still coated in Meg's slick red blood, and she couldn't think straight. Her brain was fogged over with bloodlust and the thrill of a hunt. Feelings she didn't want to have, but she did. "No." Jeff took her place. "I will." He moved in front of Claudette, and awaited Susie to strike. She looked up at him, panting heavily. "Do it," he mumbled. "I'm ready." Susie flexed her knuckles. Do it, voices whispered in her ear. She clawed at her temple, before forcing herself to move forward and stab Jeff in the chest. Once, twice — and then up he went. He screamed the whole time, clutching weakly at his shoulder before going completely frozen.

After Jeff and Meg were sacrificed, their bodies being impaled and lifted into the air, Susie felt numb. The furious whispers in Susie's head had gotten quieter, but weren't exactly silent. They would never be, until she killed Laurie and Claudette. But she wouldn't. She didn't. She held herself back, and allowed them to wrap up with finishing the last few generators. While Laurie and Claudette worked, Susie stayed as far away from them as possible. She didn't want for the bloodlust and the crave for death to enter her mind again.

As she waited, she decided to make a snowman. She was bored, and needed a distraction. She rolled up mounds of snow, and stacked them on top of each other. She didn't have any coal for buttons and eyes, and she also didn't have a carrot for a nose. But she could make do. While she worked, memories drifted through her thoughts. Her and Julie building snowmen and singing Christmas songs. Joey and Frank running forward and destroying their snowmen, and all of their progress. Laughter and screaming. Hot chocolate and snowball fights. That seemed so long ago, like a whole lifetime had gone by since then. She felt sadness tug at her heart. She just wanted to feel that happy and carefree once more . . .

But everything was different now. Frank was more prone to aggression and anger. Julie was quieter, more distant sometimes if she had a bad trial. Joey disappeared and drifted from them more and more frequently, and her? She didn't even know what the hell was up with her. The stress of this realm was mounting on her shoulders. It felt like the weight of the world. She wanted to feel like a teenager again, like how she was supposed to feel, not like a tired old woman who'd seen far too many things. She just wanted to go home. She hated this place. Yet she'd always told herself the Legion were her home, and they were. But she was beginning to wonder if the Legion she loved so dearly had been left behind that fateful night in Ormond, when they'd all stabbed that man to death and buried him in the snow.

This Legion, the one with her now, was so much different. Darker. Scarier. Stranger. 

Susie felt tears prickling at her eyes, but her grief was interrupted by the loud sound of the exit gates being powered. She stood up, feeling the voices returning to scream in her ears. The Entity would surely be displeased that all the generators were finished, but it couldn't do anything about it. Susie had already given it two meals, Meg and Jeff. That was enough. No more blood would be spilled, not by her hand. She slowly made her way towards one of the doors, hoping that was where Laurie and Claudette were. She wanted to say goodbye. 

The loud buzzing of the exit gate being opened confirmed her suspicions, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She turned the corner, seeing Laurie opening the exit and Claudette leaning against the wall. Spotting Susie, Claudette jumped up with a bright smile. "Hey!" Claudette waved, and Susie shyly waved back. She could never get over how trusting Claudette was. At least Laurie seemed more cautious, eyeing Susie warily, her jaw clenched.

"Thanks again for what you did," Claudette said. She smiled wider, and Susie frowned. She didn't do anything good. She killed two of Claudette's friends. "I—" Susie began, ready to point that out, but Claudette raised her hand to silence her. "Don't." Claudette shook her head. "You don't understand, okay? But we all do. Even Laurie over there, who seems much more grouchier than she really is." Laurie huffed, and Susie risked a glance at her. The blonde was looking down. Susie knew the girl was tough. Knew that her and Myers had history outside of this realm. She wanted to ask her about it, but she kept her mouth shut.

"I wanted to give you a quick gift." Claudette reached into her pocket, and Susie's eyes widened. "A gift?" She blurted out. "I don't deserve a gift." When would Claudette even have time to get a gift? And how would she even come across it? Maybe it was in one of those chests. As Susie wondered what it could be, Claudette pulled a flower crown from her pocket. Susie blinked, stunned. "I thought — how can flowers grow in Mount Ormond?" She inquired. She'd never seen any. Claudette looked up at her, dark eyes shining happily. 

"They're called snowdrops," she explained. "They bloom in winter, and thrive in cold environments. That's why they can grow in Ormond. It was the luckiest thing! I found them all in a bunch by the chalet." Claudette extended the crown towards her, and Susie took it. 

"Just something to remember me by. I hope you like it." Claudette looked away bashfully, and Susie managed a small smile. "I love it. Thank you." She held the crown delicately, placing it on top of her head. Claudette beamed, while Laurie reached over, grabbing her wrist. "Come on, let's go." With one last look at Susie, Laurie opened the exit gate fully and dragged Claudette away. Claudette waved once more, and Susie lifted her hand up limply, waving as well. Then, the pair drifted past the barrier, running off into the distance where Susie couldn't follow. As they left, Susie felt her body shutting down as the trial then ended.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she returned to the snowy fortress that was Ormond. 

In her hands, she clutched a flower crown made of snowdrops. She regarded it with a blank gaze. Her first gift from a survivor. She felt empty, but through the void, she felt incredulous. Once again, the emotions of unworthiness and not being meant for trust or redemption filled her. She wasn't a victim. Not like them. She was a shitty person, who'd made her own decisions. They had to stop defending her, had to stop taking her side! Laurie was right, she was a killer, and shouldn't be treated differently! In any normal world, she should be in an electric chair right now! Instead, she was here. She would prefer the electric chair. Her hands clenched into fists, causing her to almost crush her crown of snowdrops. 

Their deal — she'd spare two of them, kill two of them. They'd be friendly with each other. Act like . . . Real people. It seemed too good to be true. Surely the Entity wouldn't just allow that to happen? Her temple throbbed, and she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. Especially knowing she'd been in a trial without her mask. She looked down at herself, realizing she was still wearing Meg's bloodstained hoodie. Slowly, she unzipped it, slipping it off of her shaking body. She held it in her hands. Perhaps this was her second gift from a survivor. Her fingers traced over the fabric, and she recalled Meg's limp body being hung. 

She stood up, slipping the snowdrops into her pocket. She kept the hoodie held close to her as she hurried back towards the resort. She was reminded of her fight with Frank, and she hesitated. Did she want to go back? She gulped. She had no other choice. She entered the resort, wiping snow off of her shoes. She looked around, but no familiar figures sat at the base of the fire. She was alone. She felt a prickly of unease, and a wave of sudden loneliness. 

Wasn't this what she'd wanted? Didn't she not want to see Frank, or Joey and Julie? If so, why did she feel so dejected? She made her way upstairs, and into the room she had claimed as her own. Once inside, she closed the door behind her. On her bed was her mask. Had the Entity put it there? She reached over, her thumb brushing over the familiar surface. She swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat. The guilt of her argument with Frank, her slayings of the survivors — she couldn't keep up. Her head ached, and she felt the brief urge to cry.

She glanced over at the closet in the corner, and crept towards it. She swung it open, checking the contents. No one inside. She felt relief, but it was brief. She hung the hoodie up on an old, broken hanger. She stared at it for a while, the thoughts of Meg and Claudette and Jeff and Laurie circling through her mind. She looked down at her feet, kicking at the stained carpet and sighing. How desperate did they have to be, to jump at the first sign of kindness from their killer? Had they faced just what she had? She felt a mounting terror blossoming up inside of her. What if the other killers had hurt them like Danny hurt her? 

Tugging at her hair, Susie shook her head. That was impossible! She was only raped because the Entity wanted to punish her. The survivors, what other punishments could they face? They didn't deserve more. The Entity fed enough off of them, surely it wouldn't want to draw out more suffering from the poor souls. She thought of the curly-haired blonde, her pretty face and attractive figure. She thought of the Clown, his conniving laugh and his fascination with toxins. Fear sprouted up within her, and her breathing quickened. Had he hurt her? He'd tried hurting Amanda. Or had he hurt the gentle and sweet Claudette? Or the short, dark-haired Asian girl? Susie gagged, and she slammed her hands over her mouth.

She was going to throw up. She could feel it, the bile rushing up her throat. She choked, spit bubbling up at the corners of her mouth. She felt disgusting. Repulsive. She wanted to scrub and scrub at her skin. She was associated with freaks, with rapists! The survivors probably thought of her on equal levels to the Clown. Claudette and Meg and Jeff could tell her otherwise, but — she'd done nothing to prove herself as better than the other killers. She deserved their hatred, their anger, she deserved pain. Tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn't want them to think of her like that . . . ! She hiccuped, and slid down against the wall. 

Frantically, Susie pulled the flower crown out of her pocket. She stared at it. It stared back. Claudette's gentle smile appeared in her mind. Her kind eyes, peaceful expression — Susie felt herself relaxing ever-so-slightly. With trembling fingers, she placed the crown onto her head. It felt silly, but it also felt comforting. She wore it with pride, and even though no one else would see it, she preferred it that way. She didn't want Danny seeing her like this. She didn't want him to take it from her, to ruin one thing she managed to find reassurance in. 

Her eyes closed, and she exhaled a shaky breath. 

What she didn't realize was there were two figures stalking her from outside. 

Danny kept in the snow, crouched behind a stack of barrels and staring intently at the chalet ahead of him. The resort was barren, apart from Susie. He knew she was inside, and the fact that she was vulnerable filled him with a sense of excitement. He could feel it in his bones, the need to torment her and get a rise out of her. He did it with all of his victims, but none of them could ever just come back from the dead. Not like now. The Entity's realm did magical things. For him, it was a blessing — for his victims, it was a curse. He didn't care about the torture he put them through. It just got him off, seeing their anger and sadness. What was even better, though — seeing their trauma. That was just pure damn bliss. 

He had his notepad out, and had been documenting Susie and her behavior for a while now. He'd even made notes on the other Legion. They were his competition, after all. They could potentially stand in his way. Not like they'd find him — he wouldn't reveal himself to them unless he wanted to. Besides, he had manipulation and blackmail on his side. He could hurt them in ways they'd never imagined, and they'd never see it coming. They figured they'd have strength in their numbers, but they were just a pathetic bunch of kids. They only had one kill underneath their belts, and Frank was the one responsible for lighting their desires to kill. Even though Susie, the weakest of them all, had never even wanted to kill anyone. 

It was so obvious. It didn't take a genius to see the way Susie hesitated when handling the survivors. The way she regarded them, even with a mask hiding her face — she didn't want to harm them. And that's why he got to have his way with her. If she would just grow a pair and do her job, Danny would've never been able to get his hands on her. Even though he was the Entity's favorite, he couldn't bend rules at his will. The Entity had its boundaries. Some killers crossed them, but Danny wasn't rebellious. He wanted to be obedient, if only to the Entity. That way, if he pleased it well, he could get a reward. That reward being Susie.

Susie was like an open book. And even though he'd raided the Trapper's realm, stealing all of his notes on the Legion and soaking the information up like a sponge — he probably would've figured everything out, anyway. The Legion were just some teenagers too young for the reality and brutality of this realm. But he'd handled and killed teens before. In the real world, and this one. He didn't have any standards on who he did or didn't slaughter. Young, old, even an animal — if they were alive, they were fair game. He'd kill anything he wanted to. If he had his eyes on someone, he wouldn't stop until they were dying all at his hands. 

Sometimes, he liked to kill his victims in different ways. He'd hurt them in ways they feared the most; he'd done it to Susie, he'd done it to others. But he'd never been so blatantly obsessed with a victim as he was with Susie. After he killed his targets and had his ways with them, that was it. Sure, he kept trophies and pictures and sometimes even recordings. But they didn't come back, and he couldn't come back for more of them. They died, that was it. Now, though, he could go back for seconds and thirds and fourths. No one could stop him, besides the Entity. But why would it? It clearly didn't favor the Legion. He had the upper hand. And that was exhilarating. The hunters were now becoming the hunted. 

His power . . . The power he held over the Legion, and half of them didn't even know it — it made him feel a special type of way. The blackmail he had on Joey, on Julie, on Frank — on Susie! He wanted to jack himself off at how fucking good it made him feel. He had plenty of pictures of Julie masturbating alone in her room, or fucking Frank. He had even more pictures of Frank, getting himself off. And Susie — he had images of her at her lowest point. Ones she'd never want anyone seeing. Frank and Julie might not care as much; some revealing pictures of them having sex — oh well. Their privacy was violated, but they wouldn't realize that other killers would get a glimpse of Julie. Of Frank. They'd start craving, like he'd done with Susie. And not long after the cravings, came the actual action. 

The Clown had enough balls to go after the Pig. She'd fended him off. She was strong. A bitch to mess with, he knew. The surveillance cameras all over her meat plant made it hard for him to sneak around without her seeing him, so he tended to avoid her. But the Clown hadn't cared, he'd still pursued her. The Legion couldn't come close to matching the Pig's strength. Even with their numbers, any skilled killer could overpower them all. And if the pictures got out, Danny had no doubt in his mind that the Clown would pay them a visit. 

And it'd only go downhill from there. 

As for Joey — how good would it look if the other killers saw him being buddy-buddy with some survivor? Sleeping with another survivor? And how would the survivors' friends react upon knowing their friend consented to a serial killer's dick in them? They'd both be over . . . 

A sadistic grin spread onto Danny's lips. Joey had tried so hard to be careful, but he and that little Asian chick were so obvious. Feng Min was her name. Joey snuck off from the Legion so much, it was jarring how none of them noticed and followed him. Danny took the incentive, and did it himself. And boy, was what he found juicy. He couldn't count how many pictures he'd taken. It was a joyride for him. He felt near drunk off of the power he now had. He wanted to flaunt it, rub his knowledge in their faces; but he didn't. He had control.

Danny's thoughts were interrupted when he heard heavy breathing from behind him. He stiffened, and spun around. Only one person breathed like that — the Shape. Michael Audrey fucking Myers. What the hell was he doing here? He couldn't possibly be friends with the Legion. Myers befriended no one, spoke to no one, went near no one. It was bad enough Susie seemed to have befriended that slobbering monster, the Demogorgon. Now the human form of evil? Danny straightened up, and faced the Shape with fake boldness. 

"What the hell are you looking at?" Danny snapped. "You're not too good at stalking, buddy. I can hear you from a mile away." He flexed his hands in-and-out of fists, feeling tense. If there was one killer he feared, it was Myers. Sure, the guy was an inspiration. Silent, stalky serial killer who massacred teens, survived impossible damage. A legend. But he was also terrifying in person. No amount of manipulation or blackmail could work on him, because he felt nothing. He was just an empty, dark void. And on top of that, Danny knew he was one of the few that could break the Entity's strict rules. In fact, he was probably the one who did it the most. He obeyed no one, it seemed. Not even an entity. 

Danny hid his shiver, and forced himself to remain composed. His hand rested over his knife, glimpsing the huge kitchen knife Myers held in his own hands. Myers was much taller than him, the man was practically a giant. Danny took a deep breath. If it came to a fight, Danny would lose. But, instead of trying to brutally murder Danny, Myers stepped around him. The masked killer's head turned to remain trained on Danny, though, as he walked off. It was fucking creepy and certainly unsettling. Danny wanted to stab the guy and kill him, just to eliminate the threat. But that was a battle he'd never win, so instead, he kept still. 

Myers halted in front of the chalet, and a pale hand reached into the pocket of his jumpsuit. He pulled out something, and Danny froze with confusion. What the fuck? He thought deliriously. Myers placed a pair of tacky earrings on the ground, and stepped back. His head tilted as he stared up at the chalet, as if he were trying to see where Susie would be. Danny suddenly felt a flare of anger. Don't tell me Myers is eying up MY prey? He thought furiously. He itched to gut Myers, to splay his intestines along the roof of the chalet for Susie to see, but he didn't move. He knew Myers didn't feel the same way he did about Susie, which was a relief. There was no way Myers could feel anything other than rage, and maybe curiosity. 

Lust and the urge for sex wouldn't occur to him. If anything, he only wanted to murder Susie. But Danny didn't fancy the idea of another killer similar to him murdering Susie. He'd claimed her for himself, and it made him pissy just considering Myers killing her. Danny knew if Myers formed an obsession, he would stop at nothing to kill them. He'd seen it with that blonde girl, Laurie. He constantly pursued her. He didn't want to let Susie become the same. But there was little he could do against the Shape. He was a ghost, transparent and haunting. Myers was a shape, solid and unrelenting. They weren't the same.

Gritting his teeth, Danny fled from the scene. If he stayed any longer, he'd do something he would regret. And he didn't fancy getting a kitchen knife plunged into his sternum. So, he made his way back to his realm, anger and frustration simmering inside of him like a fire.

As Danny left, Julie arrived. 

By the time she got there, Myers was gone, hidden from sight. Julie entered the chalet, looking around for her friends. "Joey? Frank? Susie . . . ?" She called out hesitantly. She bit her lip, and made her way around the chalet. She headed upstairs, and decided to check out Susie's room. As she suspected, the girl was there, she just wasn't responding to Julie's calls. 

Julie knocked on the door, hearing the faint music of Susie's mixtape. The door opened, and Susie looked up at her. "Hi," Susie said feebly. Susie rubbed her arm. She didn't know how she felt with Julie right now. She was mad that Julie didn't stick up for her, but . . . How long could she stay upset with her best friend? She regarded Julie with sad eyes, and the girl smiled timidly at her. "I found these outside the chalet," Julie said. She pulled a pair of earrings from her pocket, showing them to a startled Susie. "Are these yours?" She asked.

"No," Susie replied honestly. "I have no clue whose those are." She realized she was still wearing the flower crown, and Julie did, too. There went the 'no one else is seeing this' rule. Julie stared at the crown in wonder. "Did you make that?" Julie asked, sounding surprised. "Yeah. I found some flowers by the resort," Susie lied. "That's so cool." Julie grinned. "You should make me one sometime." Susie blinked, and then shrugged. "Yeah, maybe," she answered quietly. Julie extended her hand, and placed the earrings in the center of Susie's palm. "Well, these are yours now," Julie stated. "I think they'll look really good on you, Suze." Susie accepted the earrings, regarding them with skepticism. She frowned slightly. 

She put them on without much protest. She'd gotten her ears pierced when she was younger, even though she screamed and cried not to. The earrings looked pretty tacky, she'd admit, but if Julie insisted upon her wearing them then she'd do it. It was probably a gift from the Entity, intended for Julie, but Julie had given it to her. After a moment of silence, Julie sat down beside her. There was an uneasy silence between them that went on for a bit. 

Finally, Julie broke it. She looked over at her friend, and took off her mask. She set it into her lap, and Julie met her friend's gaze. "Look, Susie . . . I'm sorry about earlier. Frank is just worried about you. We all are. Did something happen? You can tell me. You know we always tell each other everything. Just because we're here shouldn't change things," Julie insisted. 

Susie felt a pang in her heart. She remembered when they were still in high school — when it was just the two of them. She remembered ranting to Julie about her shitty home life, and how she hated being bullied by her classmates. She remembered Julie complaining about her overbearing father and protective mother. She remembered Julie telling her of the first time she had sex with a guy. She remembered everything, because they told each other everything. There was never a secret between them; until now. And that hurt. It hurt keeping things from Julie. They were supposed to never lie, to never hide. Hiding was for cowards, and the Legion weren't cowards. But she was. Susie felt her gut twist with sickness.

She couldn't tell Julie what happened to her, and it was eating her up inside. If she told Julie, Julie would tell Frank, and Frank would tell Joey. And then they'd all set out to slaughter Danny, but she was scared for them. Danny was dangerous, and he'd already showed Susie he could ruin her, and her friends' lives here. And they were stuck in this realm for eternity, so it was best to not get anything jeopardized further. Besides — Susie was worried they'd get mad at her. Blame her. She should've been stronger, shouldn't have trusted Danny — she was a fool. She didn't want to disappoint them, so she kept her mouth shut, her pain secret.

"I just haven't been feeling well," Susie lied, biting her lip. It was probably obvious she was fibbing, but she hoped Julie didn't call her out on it. "The trials have been taking a toll on me," she went on. "And I just — wanna go home, you know?" That wasn't really a lie. She looked up at Julie, and the girl's face was pulled into a sad expression. "When I pictured us escaping Ormond, I didn't imagine it being . . . To here. Just another cage," Susie whispered.

That seemed to hurt Julie, and she looked away. Susie knew Julie hated Ormond. Hated the small town, the confinement, the same-old same-old routine. That was why their Legion was so exciting. It was new, it was dangerous, it was fun and it was a ticket out of Ormond. But instead of escaping, they were stuck here forever; living in the Ormond resort's chalet and being forced into a repetitive routine for all of time. It fucking stung. It fucking sucked.

"I'm sorry, Susie," Julie choked out. Susie looked over at her, her brow furrowed. "Why?" She murmured. "If I hadn't — if I hadn't met Frank, if I hadn't dragged us into this . . ." Julie looked over at Susie, and her eyes were filled with tears. Susie couldn't breathe; she stared at Julie, frozen, as the girl continued. "You wouldn't be stuck here. We wouldn't be stuck here." Julie shuddered, taking a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong. I love Frank, so damn much. And I love Joey, too. He's my best friend, and so are you. But if I had known that — that we'd kill someone, and end up here? I would have done things so much differently. If anything, I would have saved you. You aren't meant for this. I know that; I know! And it's not fucking fair!" Tears streamed down Julie's face. "You deserve better." 

Susie was shaking as she rested her hand on top of Julie's. "Don't blame yourself," she whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion. "It's not your fault. We all trusted Frank. No one expected him to stab that janitor. But we all made our choices, even me. I went with you all, and killed that man. I buried him. And we ended up here, and it is fucking hell, but dammit; we're here together, and that's so much better than me being stuck alone, without my Legion, in the real world." Julie turned to her, sobbing, and tackled Susie into a tight hug. 

Susie wrapped her arms around Julie, hugging her back. She rested her head on Julie's shoulder, closing her eyes. They stayed there in a comfortable quiet, until the sound of Frank entering the chalet met their ears. He was clearly pissed off, and the two girls pulled away from each other, exchanging a glance. Susie frowned, while Julie patted her shoulder. "You should go talk to him," she encouraged. Susie frowned deeper, hesitant, but Julie didn't falter. Eventually, Susie caved in. She took off her flower crown and the tacky earrings, slipping them into her pocket. Standing up, she made her way out of her room slowly. She felt her stomach doing flips. 

She descended down the stairs, quickly finding Frank leaning against the couch with an annoyed expression. She greeted him timidly, and he turned towards her. His expression soured further when he saw her, and Susie felt extremely discouraged from approaching him. She went to turn away and rush off, when Frank spoke up. "You don't have to leave." She looked back at him, and he stared evenly at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. 

"I'm sorry," Susie blurted out. "I didn't want to fight with you." 

Frank moved closer, and she stiffened. She looked anywhere but at him, and when he stopped in front of her, she could feel a cold sweat rolling down her forehead. "Since when did you become scared of me, Susie?" Frank's voice was filled with sadness, and his words broke Susie's heart. She looked up at him, and he lifted his hand. She flinched, and the action didn't go unnoticed. He brushed strands of dark hair from her eyes. "Tell me what happened to you," Frank whispered desperately. "Did someone hurt you, Susie? Please . . ." 

If only you knew, Susie thought bitterly. Words hung on her tongue, that would have to remain unsaid. She gulped, and blinked away tears. "No one hurt me, Frank," she replied after she'd regained her composure. "I just . . . Miss our home. I don't feel good these days." It wasn't a total lie. Frank frowned, and he seemed to sense there was more to the story than just that; but he didn't pry, not now. "I miss home too, Susie," Frank said quietly. "But we can't go back, now. We're too good at it." It. He meant killing. She felt sickened, and Frank lifted her head up by her chin. "Cheer up," he encouraged. "It's going to be okay." 

He hugged her, and she hugged him back. His fingers threaded through her hair, and he cradled her close to his chest as if she were a baby. She didn't mind the gesture. She closed her eyes, and relished in the comforting contact. Finally, things were at ease with her leader. She wrapped her arms around Frank, and tried to focus on only him and nothing else. Nothing else mattered. Not her pain, her memories, not anything. Just him, and the Legion.

After Susie made up with Frank, Julie came downstairs. They sat around the fire cracking jokes and making small talk. It felt just like old times. Joey even came back from a trial, looking haggard and disheveled. He was out of breath as he sat down with them, but he looked cheerful enough when he took off his mask. It all felt so natural and right to Susie. 

It was peaceful, until Susie felt herself beginning to fade. She looked at her hands, and her eyes widened. A fog was starting to roll in, and she knew what that meant. A trial. Her stomach began to sink, and before she could say goodbye to her friends — she was gone. 

She opened her eyes to find herself in Amanda's realm. Her chest tightened. She missed the woman so much. She'd have to find some free time to go visit her. She could still remember their last conversation, and didn't forget all that the woman had done for her. How would Susie ever repay her? She swallowed, turning away. She began walking around the meat plant, and felt strangely comforted. She felt confident that things were going to go alright. 

Feeling her face, she was comforted to know that her mask was fastened tightly on. She wasn't bare and exposed like the last trial. As she wandered around, looking for survivors, she heard a voice call out to her. "Hey." Susie turned, and saw a young boy about her age staring back at her. He was the tired one, who looked like his energy was based purely upon coffee, energy drinks, and pills. When he got her attention, he waved. He certainly didn't seem to give a shit. She could admire that. She straightened up, remembering the deal she'd made. Susie was a lot of things, but she wasn't a liar. She stepped forward. "Hi," she replied.

"My friends told me about . . . You know." He shrugged, and she nodded. She tried remembering his name. Quentin, was it? It was hard to forget, it was so unusual. "The deal? Yeah." Susie stuffed her hands into her pockets, rocking back on her heels. She felt a little cautious of Quentin, before it faded away. Quentin wasn't like Danny. He wasn't a malicious serial killer and rapist. He was just a poor kid who got killed over and over for no reason. "Well, in that case, you can sacrifice me." Quentin shrugged. "I don't really care," he said. 

Susie blinked, caught off-guard by such a blunt request. "I—" She stammered helplessly before Quentin raised a hand. "You can do it towards the end of the trial," he said calmly. "I'm fine with it. No worries." He smiled, and Susie was once again taken off-guard by a survivor. He walked forward. "Until then, I'm going to start working on some generators before I die." Not knowing what else to do, Susie followed after him like a lost puppy. Quentin soon stumbled upon a generator, and he got to work on it. Susie watched him do so, intrigued. She always wondered how the survivors could do this. Were they mechanics? 

"So, your name's Susie?" The casual conversation caught Susie by surprise. She blinked. Of course the other survivors would know her name, she didn't know why she was so stunned. "Yeah," she mumbled. "And you're Quentin." Quentin snorted. "The one and only." He kept working, and Susie unsheathed and sheathed her drill with boredom. "Hey." She suddenly remembered something, her eyes widening. "You're — the Nightmare's obsession, aren't you?" She blurted out. Quentin paused in his work, looking over at her with an exhausted expression. That was why he was always so tired! "Sadly," he answered, and that was that.

When the generator was finished, Susie decided to lead him to another one. He worked in silence, making a comment here and there about how creepy the meat plant was. Susie would laugh and agree with him, even though she loved Amanda. The pig heads and maggots on corpses could just get a little creepy sometimes. And the weird bathroom downstairs was a bit of a turn-off, too, but she liked the place. She liked the weirdness. Finally, when the next generator was done, Quentin got up and stretched. "Okay, I'm ready." 

"For?" Susie tilted her head, confused, and Quentin slapped his palm into his face. "Kill me," he said firmly. "What? No!" Susie exclaimed. Quentin frowned, and she hurried on, "Later. Not now." She didn't want to admit it, but she was kind of fond with Quentin. He reminded her of herself, somewhat. Not too much, but it was there. She couldn't put her finger on why, though. She led Quentin through the plant and towards the next generator. 

While Quentin worked, his team finished two more generators. That left one to go. Susie leaned against the wall beside Quentin, humming the tune to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. The song was stuck in her head. She jumped when the sound of the exits being powered echoed in her ears. Quentin stood up, extending a hand towards her. She took it, and he helped her up. "Now?" He asked, and she hesitated. "When we find the others," she responded slowly. Quentin nodded. She marveled his bravery and 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. Why couldn't she be like that? She followed after him upstairs, and towards the other three survivors. Maybe he only trusted her because he had nothing else to lose . . . ? She frowned. 

They arrived at an exit gate, and Susie saw the Asian girl named Feng Min opening the exit. She glanced over her shoulder at them and smiled slightly. "Oh, hey," she said. At her side was the old man, Bill, and the pretty girl who claimed she was a celebrity. "Hey." Quentin yawned, and then stretched. "So, whose going with me?" He asked. "I will," Feng offered, but Bill shook his head. "No," he said sternly, exhaling a puff of his cigarette. "I'll go. You and Jane just escape." Feng frowned, hesitating, but Bill didn't falter. Eventually, she gave in without much of a fight. "Alright . . ." She eyed Quentin sadly, while Jane remained silent. 

"I'm glad it was you this trial," Jane suddenly said. She had a light Hispanic accent. "I was so sick of the harsh trials, with the killers always murdering us by hand." Quentin nodded, and he gave Susie a small smile. "Yeah. I appreciated your company." He held out his fist, and Susie blinked. After a second, she fist-bumped him, and Quentin's smile widened. "Should I open it?" Feng asked after a brief moment of quiet. Quentin and Bill nodded, and Feng opened the gate — starting the Endgame Collapse. She started moving towards the exit, with Jane at her heels. Susie felt sick as she watched them go, saying goodbye to their friends. She didn't think she'd ever be able to let one of her Legion go to just be slaughtered.

When they were gone, running towards the campfire in the distance, Susie turned towards Bill and Quentin. They faced her stoically, and she frowned. "I'm sorry," she said. Bill nudged her shoulder briefly. "Don't sweat it, kid," he said gruffly. "Now get it over with." Susie nodded, and with his approval, unsheathed her drill. She lifted it up, and she hated the way her hand shook. She took a deep breath, and stabbed Bill in the chest. She had to stare into his eyes as they filled with pain, and she grimaced. His breath fanned out into her face, reeking of smoke, and he accidentally spit some blood onto her with his agonized spluttering. He apologized through a voice thick with hurt, and Susie couldn't answer him. 

She stabbed him again in the stomach, and Bill collapsed. He remained limp as Susie bent down, placing him over her shoulder. She carried him to a hook, lifting him up onto it. He screamed once, clutching in pain at his pierced shoulder. She watched with transfixed horror as he began killing himself, attempting to escape and speeding up the sacrificing process. The Entity's clawed tendrils soon appeared, prying at Bill, and Susie flinched in terror. She scrambled away, and Bill didn't struggle. He accepted his fate, and the Entity plunged its talons into him. Bill let out a strangled cry, and then he didn't move any longer.

Bill's corpse was lifted into the sky, and Susie shivered, repulsed and frightened. It never got easier to witness. She turned to Quentin, who had been solemnly watching the whole thing. The ground shook underneath them, red fissures entwining the floor from the Collapse. She stepped forward, shuddering, and Quentin noticed her fear. "It's alright," he said. How could he say that? She hated herself as she lifted up her drill. "I'm sorry," she repeated for what felt like the millionth time. But 'sorry' was just a word. Actions spoke louder. And here she was, about to kill him. "I know." Quentin's voice was gentle, and he stepped forward. 

He pressed himself against her blade, and with tearful eyes Quentin couldn't see, she stabbed him. He tried not to cry out, but he failed. His whimper of pain made her feel like complete shit. She didn't know how people could derive pleasure or satisfaction from this. She stabbed him again, hearing a wet squelch as she removed the knife. Quentin fell to the ground like a doll, and she watched him crumple. Her heart aching, she picked him up. He didn't struggle or move at all in her grip as she placed him as delicately as she could onto a hook — yet there was nothing she could do to stop him from feeling pain as it pierced him.

He screamed, whining with agony, and she covered her ears without thinking. Quentin's soft cries of pain would haunt her as she saw him grab at the hook, attempting to escape — but she knew he was just trying to kill himself, like Bill had. It made her feel so awful, seeing them do this. She stared at the floor, not wanting to look at Quentin as he died. However, instead of Quentin screaming as he was sacrificed — he grunted as he — freed himself? Alarmed, Susie looked up, and Quentin looked back at her with wide eyes. "Oh," he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen," he confessed. He sounded totally honest.

He struggled to get up off of the floor, and Susie swallowed. "That was awesome," she said eventually. "I know." Quentin smiled, laughing but his joy didn't reach his eyes. He'd just have to endure more pain by being downed for a second time. "Please, hurry," Quentin begged. Hurry and kill me, was what he meant. Susie reached over, striking him with the drill, and he fell. She picked him up, and began carrying him downstairs, much to his confusion. 

Susie knew she was on a time limit. If the Collapse ended before she could find the hatch, the Entity would forcefully claim Quentin, and she wouldn't be able to protect him. He wasn't wiggling in her grasp, which made her travel faster. Eventually, she heard the familiar soft blaring sound of the hatch. She turned, facing it, and dropped Quentin down onto it. 

He looked up at her with shock, and she stepped back. "But—" Quentin started, but Susie interrupted him. "Go." Quentin kept hesitating, so she moved forward and kicked him down into the hatch. He fell with a surprised expression, and she didn't regret her decision. Quentin deserved it. As he escaped, she could feel the Entity's displeased whispers drift through her ears. She knew she had made it upset. Displeased it . . . She didn't care. Fuck the Entity! She felt herself being pulled away, out of the trial, and she accepted it grimly.

She opened her eyes, expecting to be within the grounds of the Ormond resort. This time, she was a bit outside of it, in the surrounding trees. She felt a prickle ripple down her spine. She didn't like this . . . She felt uneasy as she hurried forward, and every alarm bell within her head was going off. Her instincts were soaring, and she turned her head all around, scanning the area. It seemed like she was alone. She began to let her guard down, just a— 

Susie unsheathed her drill and whipped around, not one to be taken for a total fool. Her drill caught an arm, and her assailant grunted with pain. Her heart leaped into her throat when she realized who it was. Him. The Ghostface. All the color drained from her face, and the Ghostface yanked his arm free of her drill, ignoring any pain and bleeding. "Miss me, dear?"

She could feel herself trembling. He was back. That could only be because — she'd upset the Entity by not killing Quentin. It was trying to punish her. She bit back a whimper, and forced herself to raise her chin. She was grateful that her mask was still intact, because she didn't want the Ghostface to see her frightened expression. "I'm not scared of you," she lied, even though her voice wavered. The Ghostface tilted his head, stalking forward. "Is that so?" He asked snidely. "This look give you some balls, or what? You feeling brave, Susie? You feeling brave enough to fight me?" When she didn't answer, he laughed. "Cat got your tongue?" He sounded so smug, so contempt. Like he knew he had total control over her. 

"I'm not fighting you," Susie replied icily. "I'm killing you." She launched herself towards the Ghostface, feeling determined. She wouldn't be weak like before. She'd make him regret ever messing with her! She lifted up her drill, and he kicked her in her gut, sending her flying back. She hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of her. She remained still, her eyes closed. It hurt. The Ghostface approached her, steps slow and mocking. "What was that about killing me, again?" He taunted, bending down to grab her. Susie spring up, taking him by surprise. She lashed out with her drill, stabbing him in the shoulder. "Fuck off, dick!" 

The Ghostface hissed in pain, punching her and causing her to dislodge her drill from his shoulder. He groaned as the blade left his skin, and he clutched the wound. He seemed pissed, now. Good. She stood up shakily, grabbing her aching jaw. She flipped her hands in a 'come get some' gesture which she'd seen Frank do many times. The Ghostface seemed to have enough of playing games, because he surged towards her, his knife suddenly out and raised. 

He swung at her, and she twisted to the side just in time. She was faster than him, and he knew that. He looked angry. While he had strength, she had speed. She darted forward, landing a swift stab to his abdomen. He snarled in anger and agony, trying to grab her by her hair, but it was too short. She jumped back and away from him, a wide grin on her face. "Cat got your tongue, or what?" She mimicked him from earlier. He was oddly silent, probably because he was concentrating and angry. She giggled, hoping it'd set him off more. 

He leaped at her, and this time, she was just a little too slow to react. His blade plunged into her side, and she cried out. It still hurt like hell, and she grit her teeth to keep herself from screaming. She craned her neck up to stare into that mask, that ghostly mask that'd been haunting her for too damn long. She wouldn't just give him an easy victory, or even one at all. She'd bring him down with her, or die trying. She shoved at his face, grabbing his hand and forcing it back, tearing the knife out of her flesh. She gasped with pain at the action, but quickly seized her chance and stabbed the Ghostface in the hand to get him off.

He sprung away from her, and she drew away as well. They both caught their breaths, but Susie was quicker to recover. She wouldn't let him rest. Like a predator pouncing onto its prey, she descended upon him. She aimed for his throat, prepared to slit it. She came close, but the Ghostface blocked her with his arm, and she ended up just grazing his elbow. "Bastard!" She spat, and he growled at her, pushing her back and onto the floor. He tried getting on top of her, but she kicked him in the balls. "Go to hell!" She screamed furiously.

He let out a cry of pain, clutching his groin, and she took the chance to scramble away. He looked after her with loathing, and got up to follow. She ran more into the trees, and heard faint squealing and squeaking. It was weird, but she didn't think much of it. She stepped on something wet and mushy, but she didn't have time to look down. She just kept on running. 

She turned a corner, spinning around to face the Ghostface head-on. He sprung at her, head-butting her and then punching her, sending her collapsing to the ground. Her head was throbbing, and it was hard to think properly or plan her next movement. She lashed out blindly with her drill, seeing stars, and the Ghostface took advantage of her vulnerability. He climbed on top of her, knife raised, and plunged it into her already-wounded side. She screamed, her back arching with agony. She stabbed at his shoulder, and tried aiming for his throat, desperate to get him off. He didn't flinch — in fact, he just seemed to get stronger.

Susie spat blood into his face, furious with herself and him, when a roar echoed through the forest. The Ghostface froze from on top of her, as if confused. Barely a second later, he was completely knocked off of Susie. She gasped, stunned, and looked down. The knife was still submerged in her side. With a wince, she removed it, and it fell to the snowy floor with a clang. Looking back, she saw Buddy on top of the Ghostface, roaring into his masked face.

A giddy smile broke out onto her face. "Yes, Buddy! Kill him!" She cheered. She stumbled to her feet, but Buddy didn't listen. Instead, he backed off of Ghostface, whimpering and shaking his head as if something was scolding him. He snarled at the Ghostface, who remained still within the snow. Blood stained the ground red beneath him. Susie limped over to Buddy, who grabbed her by the back of her leather jacket. He lifted her up, carrying her like she was a puppy or something. He carried her towards one of his portals, and Susie realized that was what she had stepped on earlier. She'd never been more grateful for something in her whole life. She didn't look back at Danny as Buddy teleported them away. 

With a roar, they were gone. 

Susie re-appeared in the Hawkins Laboratory, Buddy at her side. He released her, and she collapsed. Tears of gratitude bubbled to her eyes, and she turned towards the beast. "You're the best boy ever!" She exclaimed, as if talking to a dog. She hugged Buddy, staining her blood all over his pale, slimy skin. She drew away, feeling dizzy and disoriented from blood loss. Buddy whimpered, and she smiled at him. "No worries, Bud," she said gently. "You did good. So good. I'm so proud of you," she cooed, patting his head lovingly. She smiled wider.

"I love you," Susie sang cheerfully, lightly patting the Demogorgon's face. It made a soft rumbling noise, and then a sound that resembled a purr. She laughed, and stumbled through the laboratory. She made her way upstairs, leaving a blood trail behind her all the while. Buddy followed loyally after her. She entered a room, and leaned down against the wall. She didn't know how to treat her wound, and she was certain that Buddy had no damn clue, either. He'd done enough for her. She wanted to kiss his cute, deformed monstrous face. 

While Susie was slowly bleeding out, she decided to snoop around some more. She rifled through some cabinets, but they were mostly filled with boring papers, pencils, pens and files. She only hesitated when she saw a ruler. Her interest piqued, she grabbed it. Setting it into her lap, she regarded it fondly. A ruler had been her first weapon, one she forged herself. She decided to make this one hers, too. Using her drill, she sharpened the ruler to a perfect point, carving it up to her liking. It was jet black, which suited her liking just fine. 

When she was finished, she was feeling particularly dreary and drowsy. The room was beginning to spin around her, and little dots were dancing around in her vision. Distantly, she could feel Buddy pressed against her. Hear him whining, feel him nudging her arm. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't move, she couldn't think properly. With her new weapon in her lap, she leaned her head against the Demogorgon, and closed her tired, aching eyes. 

Blood was seeping onto the floor underneath her. Her head was getting lighter and lighter. It wasn't long, now. She felt her eyes roll back into her head, and then, all went . . . Blank. 

She died, and Buddy didn't know what to do with her limp corpse.

————————

When Susie woke up, she was outside the chalet.

Danny was nowhere in sight, which was a huge relief. She stood up, feeling groggy — like she'd just woken up from a long sleep. She yawned, and stumbled forward deliriously. She didn't know what had happened — until all the memories came rushing back. Her and Danny fighting, Buddy saving her, bleeding out in the laboratory. She felt guilt consume her. She felt bad for Buddy, who would probably not understand what had happened to her . . . 

She was going to enter the chalet, when she almost stepped on something. Looking down, she saw memorial flowers in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she bent down. Confused, Susie picked them up and regarded them. They couldn't have been left by Danny. Danny would never leave her gifts, that just didn't . . . Seem like him. And besides, she'd done a lot of damage to him. He should have died from his wounds, just like she did. She wished she could've seen him bleed out, rip off his mask and see the light fade from his eyes. She hated feeling this way. It reminded her that she was a killer; that she still had the thirst for blood. 

Twirling the flowers around in her fingers, Susie thought of Claudette. The girl sometimes wore earrings, and did have an obsession with plants and botany. Maybe these gifts were from her. Susie smiled slightly, comforted at the thought. She didn't know how Claudette would reach Ormond, but didn't doubt that she could. She slid the memorial flowers into her pocket. She'd keep them, and once she got into a trial with Claudette, ask her about it. 

It made her feel better after the ordeal she'd been through. She entered the chalet, and didn't see anyone there. That would make sense. Everyone was off doing something. Probably stuck in trials. If they weren't, they would have heard Susie screaming and rushed to help her. Buddy had probably heard her cries from the portal. Without him, she didn't want to imagine where she'd be right now. She shivered, and glanced warily over her shoulder. She wanted to go find the portal again, and go back to Buddy. She didn't want to be alone. But fear stopped her. What if she ran into Danny again? She just couldn't do it . . . 

Susie sat down on one of the couches, staring at the crackling fire in front of her. Her thoughts drifted, and she wondered what Quentin was doing. She was glad he got to escape, even if it meant punishment for her. The Entity couldn't control her, no matter how hard it tried. She would do what she wanted, and what she had wanted was for Quentin to survive. She remembered his shocked expression, his protests — she sighed. The survivors were all so confusing. Just when she thought she understood them, they did something surprising. 

Getting up, Susie felt something in her pocket as she moved which she hadn't noticed before. That was when it dawned on her; her new weapon! She fished the ruler from her pocket, staring at it with wide eyes. Her only two weapons she'd ever had: a ruler, and a drill. Such strange choices. Others would have picked a gun, or a knife. But that wasn't her. She was more . . . Creative. She twirled the ruler around. It reminded her of when she'd first shown Julie the ruler she'd crafted, and Julie had laughed and called her a dork. The others had mocked her. They'd had hunting knives and karambits. They made her weapon look silly and juvenile. But in the end, she didn't care. It was her thing. Her 'brand' or whatever.

She was distracted by the sound of a phone ringing. 

Susie jumped with fright. That old phone didn't work for shit. It hadn't worked for years. It was so old and battered. Why was it ringing? Her eyes slowly shifted towards the receptionist desk, and the phone hanging up beside it. Her hands shook, gripping the ruler so tightly her knuckles turned white. She moved forward carefully. She knew she had no other choice but to answer it. The phone was only working because the Entity wanted it to.

Like a snake striking, Susie grabbed the phone with lightning-fast movement, yanking it from the wall. She pressed it against her ear, feeling a wave of irritation. "Hello?" She snapped. "Hello." The voice on the other end was strangely familiar. She stiffened. There was a filter over the voice, like they were using a . . . What was it? A voice changer, or something. It could only be one thing. Joe and Frank playing a prank on her, or — him. She grit her teeth, and leaned forward. "Whoever the hell this is, I'm not in the mood for games." She made her tone sound icy, and went to hang up, but the voice quickly replied. 

"What's your favorite scary movie?" 

Susie scowled. What kind of question was that? Were they taking a poll or something? "I don't know." Susie didn't really watch horror movies, that was more of Joey and Frank's thing. "I guess . . . Jurassic Park," she replied eventually. It'd scared her when she'd first seen it. It was an awesome movie, though. Definitely one of her favorites. She wished she could watch it again. "Are you serious?" The voice sounded incredulous, like they thought she was joking. Her brow furrowed. "Are YOU serious?" she retorted. "Fuck off and leave me alone." 

She drew the phone away from her ear, but the voice on the other line yelled so loud she could hear it even from a distance. "DON'T HANG UP!" She flinched, grimacing, and realized this didn't seem like Frank or Joey. She put the phone back to her ear, her heart suddenly pounding. "Fuck off, asshole!" She shouted. "I know who you are!" She felt a surge of strength rush through her. "Danny fucking Johnson. Yeah, I know you! You think you were slick, lying to me? Jed Olsen my ass. I know everything. You're nothing, you're not shit! You fucking douche! Threatening me over the phone, how basic are you? Goddamn freak!" 

Insulting Danny, confronting him about his real name — she felt so much better. She felt like she really could take him. She'd fended him off earlier, and although she'd needed help towards the end, she'd still beat the shit out of Danny. She smirked, sweat trailing down the side of her face. "You want to come back for me, for what, seconds? Not a chance in hell, asshole. You won't ever get me again. I'll make sure of it. But I dare you to try. You'll be a dead man." She sounded more confident than she felt, but he didn't need to know that. 

There was silence on the other end. Had she struck a nerve?

"I hope you're being honest with me, Susie. We'll see about that." 

The line went dead, and she threw the phone away from her. She backed away from it, heart racing and fury pooling through her veins. She kicked at the desk in front of her, stifling a scream of frustration. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Susie shouted at the empty air. She was sick of being Danny's toy, sick of being tormented by him. She bit her lip so hard she drew blood, and stared at the ruler in her grasp. She'd kill him, she'd kill him, she'd— 

"Susie . . . ?" 

Susie whipped around, a wild look in her eyes. She saw Joey staring at her. She faltered, her tense posture crumpling. "Joey." Her voice sounded pathetic even to her. "Are you alright?" Joey stepped forward tentatively, and she sniffled. Wiping at her face, she took a deep breath. "I'm good," she lied. "Doesn't seem like it," Joey retorted. "I am," Susie said more firmly. "I just . . . Let's not talk about it, yeah?" She hoped that he would just drop it. Thankfully, Joey nodded and let it go. "Fine." He made his way over to one of the couches.

Susie followed him, collapsing beside him with exhaustion. He looked over at her. "Hey, wanna see something?" Joey asked. Susie raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Sure," she replied warily. Joey pulled something from his pocket. "Ta-da." He held a strange object in his hands. "Woah!" She exclaimed. "What's that?" Joey pulled off his mask, and a wide smile was on his face. "I stole it from that Asian girl," he said proudly. "She called it a DS." Joey flipped it open, revealing a small screen and a pad of keys. "That's so cool!" Susie gushed. 

"I know right?" Joey laughed, and turned the 'DS' on. "Don't tell the others, though," he warned. "Frank will destroy it, and Julie will hog it." Susie nodded solemnly. "My lips are zipped." Taking off her mask, she made a zipping motion with her fingers, pretending to throw away an imaginary key. Joey chuckled, and grabbed a thing that looked like a pencil. "This is a stylus," Joey explained. "Cool," Susie breathed. She wondered how he knew all this. Probably because he was smart. Susie watched as Joey tapped the screen with the stylus. The screen suddenly erupted in bright light, and Susie gasped with wonder. "Damn!"

"There's only one game we can play right now, until I steal some more," Joey told her. "What game is it?" Susie inquired. "It's called Mario Kart," Joey replied. Susie watched with amazement as Joey steered some weird red character in cars, racing against other players. It was awesome! She didn't realize the Entity allowed survivors to have such technology. Then again, there were phones around that apparently worked. She was stunned into silence.

Joey let her play a few rounds, before the sound of Frank's voice filled the chalet. "Fucking survivors!" Joey hid the DS, while Susie got up to greet Frank. Her cryptic conversation with Danny faded from her mind. She was with her Legion, and she felt safe — protected.

"Aw, did you get bullied, Frank?" Susie asked teasingly. Frank flicked her off, and Susie laughed. "You did!" She exclaimed, moving closer to mess with his hair. He pushed her away, but it was lightly; he was being careful with her. "Shut up," he grumbled. Joey appeared, snickering. "Come on, man. Is your skill slipping?" Joey asked, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Frank flicked him off, too, and Susie erupted into laughter. "Frank is getting rusty!" She said.

"Shut up or so help me, I will kill both of you!" Frank snapped. "Bet," Joey retorted, and Frank looked over at him murderously — Susie could only imagine his expression beneath his mask. "Yeah, I'll bet," Frank retorted. "You two better start fucking running." Susie pouted, glaring at Joey. "Nice job, Joe!" She complained. He just laughed, grabbing her by the arm and taking off running with her while Frank chased after them, yelling profanities. 

Their fun was interrupted, however, when Susie was pulled into a trial. 

She opened her eyes, surrounded by fog, at the asylum. This was the Nurse's realm. However, she could hear carnival music somewhere off to her left. That's right . . . When the Clown arrived, he had taken residence in the back part of the Nurse's realm, setting up his creepy circus there. Luckily, the two never seemed to interact. Susie frowned, missing the days where her and her friends would go to the local carnival every summer. The one good thing about Ormond. She recalled the fun rides, her joyful screaming, the amazing food. Frank trying (and failing) to win Julie prizes from the various games around the place.

Her chest ached. It hurt. So much. She missed her family, however fucked up it was. She missed her mother. Even though they'd had problems, Susie cared for her mother. Her father? Not as much. But she still missed them, however much she swore she hated them. 

She'd never see them again. 

Clearing her thoughts, Susie made her way across the asylum grounds, looking for survivors. She hoped Claudette was here, so she could thank her for the gifts. She peered around curiously, and was caught off-guard when someone spoke up from behind her. "Hey." Susie spun around, seeing Meg behind her. "You scared the shit out of me!" Susie exclaimed. "Sorry." Meg smiled, coming closer. She showed no fear, despite Susie killing her the last time they'd met. Susie swallowed, and glanced around. "Is Claudette here?" She inquired. 

"No. It's me, Ace, Jake, and Dwight." Meg hummed, and Susie frowned. "Oh." Meg tilted her head. "Why?" She asked. "I just wanted to thank her for something," Susie replied quietly. "Ah, I see." Meg didn't pry further. "So, I was thinking . . . I can escape, because of last time?" Meg looked over at her, and Susie nodded. "Yeah — yeah, of course," she insisted hurriedly, guilt eating her up inside. Meg patted her shoulder lightly. "Thanks," she mumbled. Susie rubbed her arm awkwardly. "No problem." Meg laughed, seeming happy. "Great!" She said. "Hey, I was thinking — I really like your new hair. But . . ." She paused. 

"What?" Susie turned towards her, hoping Meg wouldn't insult her. 

"Do you know how to braid it?" Meg asked. Susie blinked, taken by surprise. "Oh — uh, not really," she replied nervously, chuckling. Julie had always been the one to braid her hair, but she didn't do it all the time. Meg gasped, shaking her head. "Nonsense! Let me teach you," she insisted. Susie decided she had nothing better to do. It beat sitting to the side, doing nothing, watching survivors work on generators. So, she sat down and let Meg get behind her. She hoped this wasn't some ploy so Meg could ruin her hair, but she highly doubted it.

She did have a weapon, after all. Looking down at her hands, Susie didn't even realize she'd been holding her new weapon. The black ruler . . . She ran her thumb over the jagged surface, drawing blood. She was distracted by Meg gently pulling off her hood, revealing her pitch-black hair. "You dyed it, right?" Meg asked. Susie nodded. "It looks good," Meg complimented. "Thanks," Susie murmured. Meg gathered her hair up, and began giving her instructions on how to braid. Susie listened, glancing back at Meg every once-in-a-while. 

By the time Meg was finished, three generators had been completed, leaving two to go. Susie had a pretty, braided ponytail across her shoulder. She liked it. It was simple, yet looked really nice. It also kept her hair out of her face. She brushed her fingers over the braid fondly. "Thanks," she said softly. "No problem," Meg replied, jumping to her feet. "Come on. Let's go explore the carnival before the last generators get popped," Meg said. She extended her hand, and Susie took it, allowing Meg to lift her up and onto her feet.

Susie followed Meg as the girl ran towards the carnival. Entering the eerie place, Susie looked around. Meg wandered about, entering the caravan. She crouched down in front of a chest, lifting it open. Susie was reminded of her time in the meat plant bathroom, back when she'd been a complete mess, trying to revamp her whole look. She swallowed, turning her head away. Meg suddenly appeared at her side. "Look what I found!" She said cheerfully. In her hands, she held a flashlight. Susie hated those dumb things. She frowned skeptically. 

Meg clicked the flashlight on, aiming it towards a wall. Instead of the usual plain glow, there was a ghost reflected back at them. Susie blinked with surprise. "Woah," she breathed. "That's actually kind of cool." She wouldn't mind being blinded by that. The ghost was cute. "I know, right? I'm surprised I found this! They usually only come around Halloween." Meg clicked the flashlight off. "But Laurie always knows when Halloween is close, and it's not." Meg pocketed the flashlight. "So I guess this was just a lucky find!" She said, looking happy.

"I guess so." Susie left the caravan, Meg close on her heels. 

The sound of neighing distracted them both. Susie paused, a generator being completed as she crouched down in front of the deformed animal before her. It whinnied, and she frowned. Meg got onto her knees beside her, staring at the horse. "It's a shame, isn't it?" Meg asked. "I didn't know animals besides crows could be here, but . . . I was wrong. I actually feel kind of bad for it." She rubbed the back of her neck, and Susie nodded. She felt sympathetic for the horse. It looked so disgusting, with three eyes and a rotting body. Blood seeped from its mouth, and she wanted to offer some comfort for it. It looked to be in pain. 

"The Entity is cruel," she said softly. Meg turned to look at her. "I'm glad you know that," she said earnestly. "It's so refreshing to meet a killer who actually seems—" she paused. "Human," she finished. Susie nodded. "I get it." She got up, Meg following her, just as the last generator was finished. The two of them looked at each other. Meg seemed disappointed. "These trials always go by so fast," she said. "I wish . . . We could spend more time together." Susie knew it was probably only because she was merciful, but she appreciated the words nonetheless. She smiled behind her mask. "Thanks, Meg. Me too." 

In the end, Ace and Dwight ended up sacrificing themselves, while Jake and Meg escaped. Susie watched them running away, and tried to ignore the screams of Ace and Dwight as they were sacrificed. Her fingers skimmed over her braid as she turned, watching the mens' bodies being lifted into the air. As they disappeared, she felt herself beginning to fade. Fog swept around her feet, and her mind became heavy. She let herself be removed from the trial, falling into a familiar abyss. When she opened her eyes, she was back at the resort. 

She stood up, dusting snow off of her pants. She stepped forward, going to enter the chalet. She paused, noticing a hair tie on the ground. She picked it up, her brow furrowing. This gifts were being left more and more frequently. She didn't know how much time had quite passed since she'd received the earrings. An hour? A day? A week? A month? She bit her lip. She wished she could see Claudette, and ask her about all this. Then again, if these were from the woman — why didn't Claudette just show herself? Susie felt a prickle of doubt. 

Were these gifts actually from Claudette?

She spun around when she heard a roar, which made her nearly jump out of her skin. She relaxed, realizing it was just Buddy. She saw the Demogorgon's monstrous form emerging from the trees, and laughed with joy as he ran towards her. "Buddy!" She exclaimed, and she giggled as the Demogorgon tackled her, knocking her to the ground. His mouth parted, revealing countless sharp teeth, yet his tongue slipped out and rasped over her cheek. She chuckled, just a little bit grossed out, and rubbed the sides of his head fondly. "Good boy!" 

"Susie!" 

The alarmed and frightened voices of her friends made her turn her head. Julie was racing towards her, Joey and Frank right on her heels. They all had their weapons out, and Buddy looked up at them. He roared, exposing his teeth and straightening up off of Susie. He was bracing to fight. He probably thought they were a threat. She scrambled off of the ground, snow tangled in her braid, which was now disheveled. "Relax, guys!" She exclaimed, stepping between her legion and the Demogorgon. "This is Buddy!" She explained. "He's my friend!" 

"Your friend?!" Frank snarled. "That thing was going to eat you!" Frank barked. Susie frowned. "He'd never!" She cried. Julie frowned skeptically. "Susie, get away from it," she begged. Pocketing the bow and her ruler, Susie held her hands up. "Look!" She insisted. She turned, and pet Buddy. He whined, clearly agitated, before relaxing. He leaned into Susie's touch, and a rumbling sound like a purr emitted from him. Susie smiled. "See? I'm telling you, he's just like a dog and cat combined!" She cooed, patting the Demogorgon's head. 

"What the fuck?" Joey breathed, and Frank shook his head. "I don't like it," he grumbled. "This was the new killer," Susie continued. "He's just a lovable goofball once he gets to know you." She giggled, stroking the Demogorgon's cheeks with affection. She owed a lot to this weird beast. "How the hell did you even befriend it?" Frank demanded. "That thing looks like it shreds anything in its path!" Joey nodded in agreement. Susie paused, remembering how they'd first met. She smiled. "I was just . . . Nice to him, I guess. And I helped him." She leaned against Buddy, looking back at her legion. "Trust me on this, guys." 

"Nope. Nope nope!" Joey threw his hands into the air, walking backwards. "I refuse to get eaten alive." Frank scoffed. "We're killers, Joey," he snapped. "We can't die." Susie tensed. She wanted to correct him so badly, but she held her tongue. Frank didn't need to know. Besides, that'd arise too many questions. How would Susie know killers could die? "It looks like a ballsack," Julie commented. Buddy hissed at her, and Susie gasped. "Rude!" She exclaimed. "Am I wrong?" Julie retorted, and Joey snickered from his place of hiding behind her and Frank. "What I want to know is . . . Why didn't you tell us about this?" Frank asked.

"I knew you'd react harshly," Susie explained. "And I was right. I just . . . Didn't want to scare you, or worry you." Susie shrugged, and Frank sighed. "I guess if it really wanted to kill you or us, it would've done it by now," he amended. Joey looked over at him incredulously, while Julie smiled beneath her mask. "It's kind of cute, in a bizarre and fucked up way," she said while Buddy drooled all over Susie's hair. "Also, nice braid Susie. I didn't know you could braid," Julie commented. "Thanks. I learned a while ago," Susie lied, smiling slightly.

Julie suddenly picked up a snowball, and threw it at Susie. It landed on her face, and Susie fell back with a loud "oof!" Buddy shrieked while Joey and Frank both joined in, pummeling Susie. "Hey!" She exclaimed, wiping snow off of herself. "What was that for?!" She complained. "For hiding him from us!" Julie retorted, and Joey nodded. "This is war!" Susie cried. She gathered snowballs of her own, and the group began having a snowball fight. It was just like old times, and it filled Susie with joy. There was one big difference, though . . . 

Now there was a huge monster chasing after them, slobbering and trying to catch and eat the snowballs they threw. In the end, Buddy got used to Susie's friends, understanding they weren't intending to harm like Danny was. It felt good to have them all together like this. 

Their snowball fight ended, however, when Frank was summoned for a trial. Shortly after he left, fog began curling around Buddy, and soon enough he was gone too. That left Joey, Julie, and Susie. They went back inside to warm up. As Susie headed upstairs, dusting snow off of herself, she heard Julie and Joey bickering about something stupid downstairs. Movie preferences, song preferences — they fought over practically anything and everything. Sometimes Susie joined in, but she preferred to just sit back and listen most of the time.

As Susie entered her room, she immediately felt something was off. 

The hair on the back of her neck raised as she looked around, chills rippling down her spine. Her gaze rested onto her bed, and she felt cold — even colder than being pummeled by snowballs. There, on her sheets, was a vanity mirror. Heart racing, Susie crept cautiously towards it. Her fingers skimmed over the surface, and she picked up the mirror. Hands shaking, Susie realized . . . Claudette definitely wasn't responsible for giving her these gifts.

Lifting up the mirror, Susie stared at her reflection. And there — her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She was certain she'd closed her closet door the last time she'd entered. But now, it was cracked slightly open. That couldn't be a coincidence, or the wind. Sweat dripped down her temple and coated her palms. The mirror felt slippery in her grasp. She turned, slowly walking towards her closet. She prayed nothing was there. She prayed she was just hallucinating, that her paranoia and jittery nerves were getting the best of her.

She tried closing the closet door, but something was in the way. 

She felt like she was going to vomit. She couldn't be a coward. She opened the closet, and dropped the vanity mirror. There in front of her was Michael Myers himself. A scream ripped past her lips, and she spun on her heel. Myers went to swing at her, but she was faster. She ran out of her room, screaming like a banshee all the while. "Julie! Joey!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, racing downstairs — only to find the chalet was empty.

No. No, no, no! Susie thought in a panic. How could they all have been summoned for a trial?! She felt tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. She looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, the Shape was following her. "Leave me alone!" She screamed, pulling her ruler out of her pocket. "What do you want from me?!" She sobbed, backing away from him. Myers just came closer, his steps slow and precise. He didn't rush, didn't run, he took his time. Like he knew he'd catch her eventually. Gritting her teeth, Susie turned and fled the chalet. 

She darted across the snow, heavy gasps and pants escaping her as she tried to breathe. For a second, she was truly afraid. She was afraid Myers would do what Danny had done. Torture her, rape her . . . But she knew better than that. Myers wasn't a rapist. Myers felt nothing for anyone, just a blank emptiness. There was no way he'd want to rape her, but he did apparently want to kill her. These gifts were left by him, growing in value as his obsession and urge to kill her became stronger. It all made sense now. What had she done to cause this obsession? Was it because she'd been in her realm? Was it because she'd escaped him? 

It wasn't fair! 

Susie fled into the woods, hoping she'd lose Myers, but it'd be impossible. The snow caused her to leave footprints, clear as day, for Myers to follow. Maybe dying by his hand wouldn't be so bad. If she just allowed him to kill her, then maybe his obsession would fade. Maybe then he'd be satisfied. She didn't want to keep running from him. If she just got it over with, she was positive he'd leave her alone. His real obsession was Laurie Strode, not her. She wasn't even blonde, her hair was black. As soon as his drive to kill her faded, he would back off. That was all. She felt a little comforted. She should just stop running — take the knife.

Or maybe . . . She regarded the ruler in her hands. Could she take her own life? It'd be less painful, but . . . She never debated suicide before. She didn't like it. She didn't want to consider it. It made her feel sick to her stomach. She never thought she'd have to debate taking her own life. She sniffled, wiping her face shakily. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't. 

Her pace slowed, and as it did, she heard footsteps crunching in the snow that weren't her own. She closed her eyes, ready to feel a kitchen knife pierce her sternum. It never came. 

Instead, a hand wrapped around her throat. Her eyes flew open. "Hello, Susie." She felt like she would vomit. She could taste the bile. It was him. It was him — she began struggling, screams escaping her. Hopefully Myers would hear them, and come kill Danny! Then he'd kill her, too, and this would all be over. It would all be over. Tears streamed down her cheeks behind her mask. She didn't feel confident like she had been, talking to him over the phone. She didn't feel strong like before, when she'd fought him off and escaped. She just felt tired.

She brandished her ruler, and went to stab Danny. Instead of meeting her mark, she failed miserably. Danny grabbed a hold of her wrist, stopping her from connecting with his chest. He chuckled, and wrestled with her for the ruler. "Let go!" Susie snapped, struggling to get away. In the end, she wasn't strong enough, and Danny overpowered her. He yanked her ruler from her grasp, tossing it across the snow and away from her. She went to run after it, but he punched her, sending her flying the opposite way. She fell to the ground, groaning. 

She felt blood dripping down her nose, and was glad she had her mask on. She didn't want him to see her pain. She wondered where the hell Myers was. Just a moment ago, he'd been right behind her. Now he was gone? It didn't make sense. Had she really imagined him? She felt like she was going crazy. She hated herself for it. She didn't want to be hallucinating . . . What if she hallucinated Danny next? She shuddered, feeling terror seeping through her. 

What she didn't know, was that Myers had the full intent to get to her. He had been right on her trail, when a sudden barrier stopped him. It traveled for as far as he could see and go. It was the same blockage the Entity used during trials, to stop him from pursuing survivors who'd escaped him. He didn't understand — this wasn't a trial. So why was the barrier there? Upon hearing Susie screaming, he was enraged. He knew someone else was hurting his prey, and wasn't happy about it. He liked being the only one to hurt and kill his victims. 

Because that's what he wanted to do — kill Susie. And now he couldn't. But he'd find a way.

Meanwhile, Susie flinched away from Danny, who descended upon her. "I hope letting that last guy go was worth it," Danny whispered in her ear. "Because now I get to have you all to myself." Susie grit her teeth, going to head-butt Danny but he darted out of the way. "Not so fast, dear," he taunted. "There's no escaping me, now." Danny suddenly stepped away from her, and Susie went to run when something stopped her. She cried out, falling down. 

Tendrils were wrapped around her wrists and ankles, keeping her pinned down. They looked just like the Entity's clawed talons. Panic filled her, and she thrashed around, but the grip was even tighter than Danny's strange tassels. "Let go!" She snarled. "You fucking douche!" She glared up at Danny. "You need the Entity to help you because you know you'd never get me otherwise!" She spat at him, feeling rage fueling her movements. She was beyond pissed.

"The night assists me." Danny smiled, crouching down. "And it's endless here." 

Susie spat at him again, and this time, it landed on his mask. He wiped it away, hissing with displeasure. "Bitch," he muttered. Susie rolled her eyes. She couldn't deny the mounting terror she felt, though. Memories she'd buried rose to the surface. Things she tried to forget came clawing out of the corners of her brain. Her hip seemed to burn, the words D.J. entering her mind. Danny turned, and Susie blinked, going to look at what he was staring at. From the ground, more tendrils appeared — this time, they were holding something. 

"This is called a tripod," Danny explained. He began setting it up, and Susie watched with confusion. What the hell was that supposed to do? When Danny pulled out a camera, placing it onto the tripod, Susie began getting an idea. He was going to record her. She felt chilled to the bone, and she started thrashing against the claws containing her. "Fucker," she hissed. Danny pressed 'record' and a light flashed, letting Susie know she was being documented. She felt ashamed, embarrassed, scared — but most of all, she was damn angry.

"You'll pay for this!" Susie hissed, and Danny waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure I will," he said teasingly. Susie clenched her jaw, anger searing through her. Danny leaned over her, ripping off her mask. It fell to the floor, but she wouldn't allow herself to feel vulnerable. Instead, she just stared at Danny with a steeled expression. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her fright. Not yet, anyway. She lifted her chin up stubbornly. Danny gripped it in his fingers, his hold tight and bruising, but she didn't flinch.

"I like your braid," Danny commented offhandedly. He sounded sweet, kind — but Susie knew that was all a facade. Danny tugged roughly on it, making her yelp, and she knew her assumptions had been correct. He pulled at her leather jacket, and then yanked it off roughly, tearing through the buttons. He tossed it aside, and then went for her shirt. She let him; there was no point in struggling. If she did, she might ruin Amanda's clothes. She felt bad. The woman had been generous, and now look. She wanted to punch Danny in the face.

Once her shirt was off, he moved to her bra. It was gone in seconds, leaving her exposed, but that wasn't anything unusual. She was used to it; she'd experienced it in her nightmares over and over, reliving her traumatic experience. Now wasn't so different. It was just realer.

Her nipples became hard, but it wasn't out of her free will. It was purely because it was freezing cold outside. It was the middle of winter, after all. Danny tore off her boots and pants next, leaving her in only her underwear. He stood there, seeming to just admire her. 

He leaned over her, his fingers trailing delicately over the carved initials on her hip. "You must've found out my real name from the Trapper," he commented. "Though to be fair, you might've just guessed since I carved my name into your flesh." Danny hummed, and he looked up at Susie. "Has anyone else seen it, yet?" He asked snidely. "So they know you're mine?" Susie didn't answer him. Of course no one saw it, not even her. She liked to shut away the knowledge that she was branded, like she was some fucking animal. She hated it.

"Fine then." Danny snickered, ripping off her underwear. To be fair, he didn't seem to be stalling things out this time. He was being quicker than the last ordeal, which she was morbidly grateful for. She never thought in a million years she'd be grateful to her rapist. She wanted to vomit just thinking about it. Constant shudders rippled through her bare body. 

Danny didn't bother undressing himself. Probably because it was beyond freezing out here. He simply unzipped his pants, and allowed his dick to spring free. It was already hard, of course. Susie hoped he wouldn't make her suck it again. Thankfully, she was spared, because he didn't bother with foreplay or getting himself off first. He acted like he was on a time limit, which was a little confusing — but who was Susie to complain? She just kept quiet. 

Tears started falling down her face, but she couldn't help it. All she could think about was last time. How much it had hurt, how scared she was, how rough and violent he'd been. How she'd died, how she'd been forced into silence. How she'd been marked all over, violated in such extreme ways. She felt disgusted with herself, she felt disgusted with him — she wanted to close herself off, lock herself away so no one could ever see her again. She didn't want them to look at her, look at how he'd ruined her. She just wanted to be alone. 

Her mind flickered to her legion. To Amanda. To Buddy. Her heart clenched, and her thoughts were yanked back to the present when Danny entered her. She choked on her own breath, trying to breathe and think straight. It didn't get easier the second time around. Especially since Danny's dick wasn't wet first. She felt just as tight as ever. She wanted to scream; she felt it rise to her throat, but her pride made her force it down. She wouldn't. 

She could feel something tear inside of her. Her walls were so sensitive, and he wasn't giving her time to adjust at all. She didn't mean for it to happen, but a sob escaped her chapped lips. "Aw, does it hurt?" Danny cooed, feigning sympathy. His hands caressed her face as he thrust forcefully into her, his thumb brushing over her cheek. "Just relax, and it'll feel better," he urged. She didn't listen to him. She didn't want to hear anything he had to say. Instead, she tried to distract herself by focusing on a group of snowflakes drifting in the air.

As Danny kept going, she slowly adjusted. It was a long process, but the thrusts didn't bring constant stinging and agony anymore. For a brief moment, it didn't feel like she was being impaled from the inside any longer. No . . . It was starting to feel good. She hated herself for succumbing to her body's desires. She didn't want this to feel good, but her body betrayed her. Danny's size, his hard and thorough thrusts — she was starting to actually enjoy it all. No. No, she wasn't. Her body was. That was the difference. She'd never enjoy this torture. 

Danny grunted, angling himself into a better position so he drove deeper and harder into Susie. She felt ashamed of herself for feeling pleasure. She felt embarrassed for ever even considering it. She hated herself, she hated herself so much. She wanted this all to end. She couldn't wait for when Danny would kill her. She just wanted this shame to be over with. She didn't know how she'd live with herself after this, knowing she actually felt pleasure from her rapist. It was ridiculous. She was so fucked up. Another sob escaped her. She was awful.

"Good girl," Danny whispered, brushing her hair from her face. She ignored him, tried to ignore the way a coil was forming in her gut. She didn't understand what was happening. What was he doing to her? The pleasure was beginning to feel unbearable, and a whimper escaped her. It wasn't from pain, though — it was from bliss. She stifled a scream of frustration and hatred. Danny grinned beneath his mask before yanking it off, revealing his face. Susie stared at him in horror, despising how she met his dazed, pleasure-filled gaze. 

Before she could spit an insult at him, he connected their lips. He bit at her bottom lip for entrance, drawing blood and causing her to gasp. His tongue, slimy like a snake, entered her mouth. She felt disgusting. She wanted to drown herself, drown out the shame and the guilt. Shake away the unwanted pleasure, get rid of any lingering bits of it. She was so disappointed in herself. She couldn't imagine what the others would think if they could see her. They'd be so upset. She was upset with herself, too. She wished she would've done it . . . 

She wished she would have managed to take her ruler, and end it all for herself. 

She knew such thoughts weren't healthy. She knew she was only thinking that because of Danny, because of him kissing her and fucking her. But she didn't take it back. She couldn't, not after she'd seen her own body betray her, and give in to Danny. It was humiliating. Especially as Danny's thrusts became more ragged and sloppy, and she felt herself clenching around him. Without meaning to, she moaned into the kiss. At least it was muffled; but that didn't prevent Danny from hearing it. He heard it, and he'd mock her with it for all of time.

Because — he had a recording. He was recording her. He was recording her, and she was feeling pleasure from all this! She felt tears drip down her chin and onto her bare body, and before she knew what was happening, she was crying out. Her toes curled, and her back arched. Her hips thrust upwards without her meaning them to, and she could barely catch her breath. She felt exhausted, her body spasming and trembling. She felt so good. As she came down from her high, Danny pulled himself away from her, wiping spit away from his mouth. He looked down at her, his thrusts slowing. "See? You like it," he whispered darkly. 

She could only sob and shake her head deliriously. She could barely register her surroundings anymore as Danny came to his finish. She felt something hot inside of her, and as he pulled out, she knew it was his cum. A bit dripped down her thighs, and she'd never felt so ashamed of herself. Not even after the first time this had happened. She wanted to kill Danny. She wanted to make him pay, but he hadn't made her feel pleasure. She'd reacted on her own. She was a fool. She was a piece of shit. Insults towards herself flew through her thoughts, and she didn't notice Danny zipping up his pants, moving away. 

He slipped his mask back on, and stared at her. He seemed to know she craved death, and therefore, didn't grant her it. The tendrils binding her faded away into fog, and she sobbed. "Don't forget this, Suze," Danny told her, his voice teasing. "Don't forget you liked this. Liked the way I felt inside of you. Don't forget you reached your high, because of me." Danny turned away, heading towards the tripod. He turned off the camera, finishing the recording. Susie felt numb; she couldn't move, even though she was freed. She was frozen. 

Danny grabbed the camera, slipping it into his pocket. The tripod was tugged back into the ground, fog wrapping around it. Danny walked off into the same fog, leaving her behind. Naked, cold and alone, Susie felt ridiculous. She couldn't bring herself to get up. To grab her weapon, to pursue Danny and kill him. She wanted to — she did! But she just couldn't. She kept still on the snow, shaking and hiccuping as she cried. She felt so repulsed with herself.

Footsteps sounded from somewhere behind her, and for a moment, she thought Danny was back for more. She didn't think she'd be able to fight him, or run. She wheezed out a pitiful cry, and saw a jumpsuit appear in her vision. Her teary gaze angled upwards. Myers stood in front of her, staring down at her. The mask betrayed nothing. He probably felt nothing, seeing her like this. Although she couldn't help but be afraid. She was terrified he'd take advantage of her and rape her, too. But he didn't — instead, he just kept staring. His head tilted once, then twice. He seemed curious, as if he were wondering what happened to her.

Susie started praying that he would kill her. Take her out of her misery, and show her some mercy. But instead, Myers turned and walked away into the distance. She felt devastated. No one wanted to kill her. She thought it was because of Danny's reason: to make her suffer more. When in reality, Myers just didn't like killing prey that didn't want to fight him back.

Susie curled up into a ball on the ground, more snow beginning to fall. Maybe someone would find her here. Her legion . . . She sniffled, tears trailing down her cheeks. In reality, she knew no one would find her. So she kept still in the snow, crying out all of her sorrows.

————————

Amanda stretched, a yawn escaping her. 

She'd just gotten done constructing a new trap. She knew she'd never be able to use it in trials; the Entity wouldn't allow her to kill survivors instantly with her reverse bear traps. But that didn't matter, it wouldn't stop her from continuing to create new things. It was her passion. It was her whole purpose. She missed being able to rule and conduct her own trials, make her own traps. She wished she never failed John. Then she wouldn't — she paused. 

She turned her head, looking at something she'd nearly stepped on. Tendrils of the Entity were wrapped around it. What the hell? Amanda wondered. She drew forward with curiosity but also caution. Crouching down, she saw the tendrils fade into fog. In their wake revealed a camera. Amanda raised her eyebrows, tilting her head. "Weird," she whispered to herself.

As she picked up the camera, she saw a familiar glimpse of pink hair.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you think I forgot about Amanda? How could I ever? ;) Trouble is brewing, everyone! Mama Manda is NOT happy right now. So, yes, there will be another part after this. This is a trilogy. I just couldn’t let Susie’s story end here. Merry Christmas, everyone!


End file.
